Description

This type of figurine known as an eye idol, made of stone and having incised eyes, has been excavated at Tell Brak, where thousands were found in a building now called the Eye Temple. They were probably dedicated there as offerings. Many are incised with multiple sets of eyes, others with jewelry, and still others with representations of “children”—smaller eyes and body carved on the body of the larger idol. Wide eyes demonstrate attentiveness to the gods in much of Mesopotamian art.

Those kind of figurines were widespread within a large territory from south-east of Turkey (Arslantepe) to the iranian Khusistan (Suse)  and to the meridional part of Mesopotamia (Tello, Uruk, Ur). These works ar typical of the Uruk period (3100 – 3700 B.C.) where first cities are founded.

Catherine Bréniquet has suggested in 1996 to calssify these figurines into three types. Excavated in Tell Brak, the first type gathers all the small flat alabaster plates showing the upper part of a body with eyes taking the major part of the face.

Our specimen falls into this type 1 category and can then be dated from the 4th millenium B.C. It is made of alabaster and thinly carved and polished,  and wears a kind of hat on which three pairs of eyes are stacked up.

Some scratches and abrasion. A whole patina covers the idole with remaining of some earth encrustation’s spots.