Head of a Woman

myminifactory

This head of a woman originates from the Cycladic period. Eye features are etched in extremely low relief, suggesting that they were originally rendered with vibrant colors. The painted marble weathered more slowly than adjacent unpainted surfaces. Most of these figures are highly stylized depictions of the female human form, boasting a flat, geometric quality that gives them an uncanny resemblance to contemporary modern art. However, this notion may be a modern misconception as there is evidence that the idols were originally brightly colored. A majority of the figurines are female, depicted nude and with arms folded across their stomachs, typically holding the right arm below the left one. This head must have had a body but broke off at some point. Most scholars who have studied these artifacts from an anthropological or psychological perspective assume that they represent a Great Goddess of nature, in a tradition continuous with that of Neolithic female figures such as the Venus of Willendorf. Although some archaeologists concur, this interpretation is not widely accepted by archeologists, among whom there is no consensus on their significance. They have been interpreted as idols of gods, images of death, children's toys, and other things. One authority believes they were "more than mere trinkets and probably less than revered idols."