{"product_id":"syro-hittite-terracotta-astarte-figure","title":"Syro-Hittite Terracotta Astarte figure","description":"Circa 2800–1500 BCE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis buff pottery figurine depicts an abstract female deity with a columnar body tapering to a point at the base. The face features large applied \"donut\" eyes concentric coils of clay that give the characteristic bird-like appearance along with a prominent nose and a pierced headdress with multiple perforations. The exaggerated wide eyes relate to the common Ancient Near Eastern motif that eyes must be wide and attentive to express religious devotion. The figure has extended arms held tightly to chest, applied breasts, a navel indentation, and what appears to be a necklace at the throat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe bird-faced goddess type is of Syrian origin and was widely influential across the eastern Mediterranean, including Cyprus where local sculptors created their own variations during the Late Bronze Age. These figurines are generally identified as representations of Astarte (also known as Ishtar in Mesopotamia), a goddess associated with femininity, motherhood, and fertility. The creation of such fertility figurines in the Near East traces back as far as the 7th millennium BCE\u003cbr\u003eSize 3-5\/8  in (9.2cm) H. +   custom mounted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProvenance:  Ex Collection of Howard T. Knapp, a former physicist for the Space Program at NASA, who had a deep passion for antiquities, armor and weaponry and acquired many fascinating objects from the 60s to the 80s during his extensive world traveling. With an impressive collection that included a three thousand-year-old Ancient Greek sword and over five thousand pieces of pottery, later in life Knapp was an antique dealer and director of Castle Armory Antique Arms Museum in St. Augustine, Florida. He died in 2010 at the age of 95. The inventory label behind reads \"5105.\"","brand":"Art for Eternity","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67990013346106,"sku":"17473","price":1250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0775\/5120\/6714\/files\/101595.jpg?v=1794611869","url":"https:\/\/howardnowes.com\/products\/syro-hittite-terracotta-astarte-figure","provider":"Art for Eternity","version":"1.0","type":"link"}