Works of Art
Canaanite Copper Figure of the God ´Baal´
Period: Circa 1900 B.C.
Culture: Levantine, Phoenician
Category: Array
Dimensions: Height: 23.5cm
Price: POR
Provenance: Ex-English private collection, 1970’s.
Acquired European Art Market, early 1990’s.
Condition: The figurine is complete, and in good overall condition. The weapons held in each hand are lost, and so are the possible crown or equivalent emblem on top of the head. The inlays that decorated the eyes are also lost. The left leg is bent and foot damaged. The silver and gold foil have to a large extend remained as a result of the electrochemical process of ‘cathodic protection’ resulting from the close contact of the bronze with the silver and gold.
Description
This bronze figure takes the form of a standing deity, Baal, the ‘Lord’ or ‘Master’, god of thunder and Vegetation. He stands upright with arms held in front of him in the so-called “Anatolian Pose”. He once clasped weapons in his hands, but these no longer survive. He wears a breast plate and short tunic. The face is full with a very distinctive Near Eastern nose; and with recessed eyes, as though for inlay, which are missing. He wears ridged curls with herringbone braided design at the back, and some sort of a projection emerges from the top of the head, probably once supporting a crown or emblem of some type. The gold and silver foil covering the bronze attests to the importance of the statuette. The most common Canaanite figurines date to the first half to middle of the 2nd millennium B.C.. This is an exquisite example of Levantine metal smiths’ virtuosity.
This statuette can be paralleled to a group of Canaanite figurines distinguished by their flat silhouettes and hollow eye sockets. Eight of the nine published figures from this group are thought to have been clad in silver; the single exception was cast in silver. This is a unique example that retains its silver and also gold covering completely, making it an important addition to the corpus. Cf. O. Negbi, “Canaanite Gods in Metal” (Tel Aviv, 1976), 11, fig.16, pls. 9, 59-67
Bibliography
Published:
WILKINSON R.H., “The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt”, London, 2003, p. 101
Parallels:
- O. Negbi, Canaanite Gods in Metal (Tel Aviv, 1976), 11, fig.16, pls. 9, 59-67
Von BOTHMER D.,“Glories of the Past: Ancient Art from the Shelby White and Leon Levy Collection”, The Metropolitan Museum of Art ; New York, 1990, pp. 73-74, nos. 54-55