Bidspirit auction | A BACTRIAN CARVED STONE ANTHROPOMORPHIC

A BACTRIAN CARVED STONE ANTHROPOMORPHIC PLAQUE, 3RD - 2ND MILLENNIUM BCE. - The object is fashioned from a dark grey fine-grained stone, likely chlorite or schist, and depicts a highly stylised female figure in profile. The head is characterised by a prominent hooked nose and a large almond-shaped eye containing a white inlay. The figure is shown with raised arms and two circular breasts, both of which retain white inlays, possibly of shell or steatite. The torso is embellished with incised horizontal bands and concentric circular motifs. The lower portion of the plaque consists of a series of conjoined circular elements with concentric incisions, some retaining white inlays, which form an open-work loop. This arrangement of circles is iconographically linked to the representation of scorpion tails or hybrid creatures common in Bronze Age Central Asian glyptic art. A small suspension hole is located on the lower right of the loop. The reverse of the plaque is flat and shows a mottled surface texture.  H: Approximately 15.3cm