Female Cycladic Figurine of the Spedos Variety

Description

The “Spedos variety”, named after an Early Cycladic cemetery on Naxos, is the most prolific category of “canonical” figurines· it has the widest distribution within the Cyclades as well as elsewhere, and the greatest longevity. The illustrated example displays the characteristic traits of the type: lyre-shaped head with wide forehead, angular shoulders, incisions indicating the arms, the pubic triangle and the joints, almost total lack of modelled features (e.g. breasts). Many of the features regarded as female (such as the swollen belly, breasts, abdominal creases) are sometimes encountered on male figurines too. These paradoxes may indicate a certain degree of carelessness in rendering particular anatomical details (for instance, the feet on this figurine have four toes each). However, the use of figurines may well have been more complex than we can imagine and the variety of types may reflect their different functions.

The figurine is made from limestone.