c. 2nd -1st Century B.C.

The female figure is depicted nude and reclines on her left hip with her legs crossed. The right arm rests against the hip and the left arm is bent at the elbow with the hand poised to hold a cup which is now missing. The facial features are finely detailed with large, inset eyes. The hair is pulled back into a chignon.

This is an excellent and remarkably intact example of a piece of sculpture which is characteristic of the Parthian Empire during this period as well as the Ancient Near East as a whole.

Similar examples found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

8.8 x 3.2 inches (22.35 x 8.13 cms)

Worldwide shipping and Certificate of Authenticity included in price.

Export Approval from Israel Antiquities Authority.

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The Parthian Empire originated in the area of what is now northeast Iran, along the Caspian Sea. Originally a semi-nomadic people they clashed with the Seleucid dynasty in the 3rd Century B.C. following the death of Alexander the Great, and eventually became the dominate power in the region. During its height the empire reached to the Persian Gulf in the south and encapsulated the Tigris and Euphrates in the west, with the residence of the kings being placed in Ctesiphon on the Tigris River. It was not until their defeat by the Sassanians in the 3rd Century A.D. that their empire came to an end.

Antiquities
Ancient Near East