Bidspirit auction | Indus Valley Mehrgarh Pottery Fertility

Indus Valley Mehrgarh Pottery Fertility Idol, ca. 3500 to 2800 BCE, Indian - Ancient Central Asia, Indus Valley, Mehrgarh culture, ca. 3500 to 2800 BCE. A hand-built pottery female fertility idol of a characteristically abstract form with slender limbs, a corseted waistline beneath globular breasts, and a pectoral decorated with applied orange pigment. The elongated head features a pair of large, impressed eyes, a petite nose above full lips, and a tall forehead framed with a dark coiffure and a lighter headwrap. The cream-hued surfaces of the figure imbue it with an uncomplicated and attractive presentation. Figurines of women are perhaps the most plentiful of the figurines in the Indus Valley. The reason for this is unknown, but some researchers have proposed that women were particularly revered in that society, perhaps relating to their roles as mothers. Studies of burial sites at Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa have shown that a man was often buried with his wife's family. The female figurines are easily distinguished by a curving, pear-shaped body with large protruding breasts. The effect of these female figurines is two-fold: it emphasizes the beauty, and phallic/sexual nature of the female; but at the same time, cherishes the nurturing, motherly nature of the female. The figurines of the women tend to also be heavily ornamented. Size : 11 cm in Height