Phoenix Ancient Art S.A.

Typologically, this is a very attractive example of a canonical FAF statuette, "Folded Arm Figurines": they belong to the so-called "Spedos" variety, which represents the apotheosis of prehistoric Cycladic sculpture, around the middle of the third millennium B.C. The head is in the shape of a lyre, the neck is long and cylindrical, the shoulders and arms form a rectangle, the back is flat with the spine lightly incised and the sides angular; the sinuous contours of the body, the rounded breasts and the incised pubis emphasize the femininity of the image and certainly bring to mind the importance placed in the cults and rites of fecundity and fertility by the inhabitants of the Cyclades in the Bronze Age.

The Spedos Variety of idol is the classic form and named after a rich site on Naxos, the central Cycladic island.  Examples have been found elsewhere on Amorgos, Keros, Paros and Syros for instance.  The major named sculptor of this type has been calledthe 'Goulandris Master', the lyre shaped head is a distinctive feature of this style.      
This fine idol is remarkable for its considerable traces of painted decoration, there are ghosts clearly visible where large expressive eyes were delineated and red cinnabar 'tattoos' consisting of a double row of dots across the top of the head, with faint traces also visible on the cheeks.