Statuette of a Female Figure

Early Bronze Age, 2600-2400 BCE

Cycladic; probably from the island of Keros

Cycladic sculpture is characterized by the abstract treatment of the human form. The vast majority of the white marble statuettes depict pregnant females, suggesting an association with fertility or regenerative forces. Although they are admired today for their stark simplicity, these statuettes once had hair, eyes, jewelry, or other ornaments added in red, blue, and black pigment, which has since faded.

Status: On View, Gallery 151
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Greek
Title: Statuette of a Female Figure
Place: Kéa (Object made in)
Date: 2600 BCE–2400 BCE
Medium: Marble
Dimensions: 39.9 × 11.6 × 4.9 cm (15 11/16 × 4 9/16 × 1 15/16 in.)
Credit Line: Katherine K. Adler Memorial Fund
Reference Number: 1978.115
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/52201/manifest.json

Art Institute of Chicago, “Recent Accessions in the Department of Classical Art,” Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago vol. 74, no. 1 (January-March 1980), p. 8 (ill.)
Jack L. Davis, “A Cycladic Figure in Chicago and rhe Non-funereal Use of Cycladic Marble Figures,” in J. Lesley Fitton, Cycladica: Studies in Memory of N.P. Goulandris (London: British Museum, 1983), pp. 15-23 (ill).
Pat Getz-Preziosi, Early Cycladic Art in North American Collections (Richmond: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1987), pp. 160-161, cat. 38 (ill.).
John Griffiths Pedley, “Greek Art” in Museum Studies: Ancient Art at The Art Institute of Chicago 20, no. 1 (1994), p. 36 (ill.), no. 17.
Karen Alexander, “The New Galleries of Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago,” Minerva vol. 5, no. 3 (May/June, 1994), p. 30, fig. 4.
CLEOPATRA; THE ANCIENT WORLD,” Computer program, 1997, The Art Institute of Chicago.
James Wood, Treasures from The Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago; New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2000), p. 70 (ill.).
Pat Getz-Gentle, Ancient Art of the Cyclades, exh. cat. (Katonah, New York: Katonah Museum of Art 2006), p. 31 (ill.).
Karen B. Alexander, “From Plaster to Stone: Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago,” in Karen Manchester, Recasting the Past: Collecting and Presenting Antiquities at the Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), p. 39.

Richmond, VA, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Early Cycladic Art in North American Collections, November 10, 1987 - January 10, 1988; Forth Worth, TX, Kimball Art Museum, March 5, 1988 - May 15, 1988; San Francisco, CA, Legion of Honor, June 25, 1988 - September 25, 1988.
Katonah Museum of Art, Ancient Art of the Cyclades, October 1, 2006 - December 31, 2006.
Art Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, Gallery 151, November 11, 2012 - present.

Unknown private collection, London, by about 1947 [according to letter in curatorial file]; sold to B.C. Holland of Objects Inc., Chicago, by June 5, 1978 [receipt no. 36220 in curatorial file]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1978.

Tips for Teachers and Parents: Body Language: How to Talk to Students About Nudity in Art

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

On View

Status

Department

Culture

Title

Place

Date

Medium

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

Explore Further

Suggested Terms

See all hours

On View

Date:

Artist:

About this artwork

Status

Department

Culture

Title

Place

Date

Medium

Dimensions

Credit Line

Reference Number

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

Extended information about this artwork

Publication History

Exhibition History

Provenance

Educational Resources

Share

Explore Further

Related artworks

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Gallery actions

Image actions

Share

IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.