221
220
“oxuS lady” WitH Bird Body
Eastern Iran, Central Asia
Oxus Culture (ca. 2200–1800 BC)
Private Collection, UK
(cat. 75, detail)
Art from the oXuS
T
he oxus civilization, or BmAc (for Bactria-margiana Archaeological complex),
now better known thanks to the discoveries of the russian archaeologists
Vladmir masson and Viktor Sarianidi and the progress of the exploration
of central Asia, was a privileged moment in the history of central Asia. it emerged
at the
end of the third millennium, around the upper valley of the Amu darya, the
oxus river of the Greeks. monumental urban centres, palaces and cultic buildings
were uncovered, notably at Gonur depe in turkmenistan. elite cemeteries yielded
composite female statuettes, vessels in precious metal and exotic goods imported
from the indus valley and Syria-mesopotamia. trade with these distant regions is
probably among the causes for the fast development of the area, conveniently placed
at mid-distance. the frequent relations of central Asia
with the iranian plateau
resulted in the formation of a mixed, intercultural identity extending from elam to
central Asia. figurative artefacts in intercultural style were created in production
centres like Jiroft or tepe yahia in eastern iran and were exported as far as Arabia,
mesopotamia and northern Syria. this prosperous civilization vanished around 1700
Bc for reasons yet unclear.
Artefacts which reappeared on the market in the 1960s have long been the object
of debate as to their origin and meaning. laboratory analysis being so far inconclu-
sive to eliminate forgeries,
one has to rely on flair, an unsatisfactory instrument and,
more
reliably, on the examination of materials, techniques and iconography. thus,
a coherent artistic movement is now in the process of reconstruction, around two
core iconographic groups: the “oxus lady” (a term that we prefer than the so-called
“Bactrian princess”) and the “scarface”, a dragon snake genie in human guise.
to this core group, two iconographic types recently identified are added here, for
the first time: the “Bird spirit” (
cat. n° 75
), possibly an avatar of the “oxus lady”, and
the kneeling youthful figure, (
cat. n° 95-97
), young and handsome, who embodies
the opposite characters of the “scarface”.
All these statuettes are made by combining and assembling materials of con-
trasting colours. the preferred materials are chlorite (or similar dark green stones),
a whitish limestone or mottled alabaster or marine shells from the indian ocean.
Copper
alloy or lapis lazuli, a semi-precious blue stone mined in the upper mountains
of Afghanistan, were also used. the art of faïence, an artificial vitreous composi-
tion, was invented simultaneously in syria-mesopotamia and the indus. the oxus
craftsmen used the technique for the production of mosaic scenes in mosaics and
223
222
1
Bowl decorated with scorpions
Eastern Iran-Central Asia
Oxus culture (late III millennium)
Chlorite
Ligabue Collection, Venice,
inv. CL 3452
2
Standing “Oxus Lady”
Eastern Iran Central Asia
Oxus Culture (late III millennium BC)
Chlorite and limestone
Musée du Louvre Abu Dhabi
figures (
cat. n° 93-94
). in
the stone statuettes, the different elements of body and
costume were carved separately and joined, as in a puzzle, by tenon and mortices
or glue (
imm. ligabue collection
). the body of the female figures, entirely covered by
an all-enveloping mantle, are carved in dark stone, contrasting
with the white face
and arms. the “Scarface” statuettes are in a reversed coloured pattern – the body
in dark stone, contrasting with a (generally) light-coloured kilt; the kneeling youths
are carved in either a light or dark body with a coloured kilt and dark hair. the sym-
metry/opposition of the colour pattern was a characteristic of the art of the oxus, a
feature observable also in the iconography. many different interpretations have been
proposed for these mythological characters and the question is still debated. But one
factual evidence is clear, regarding the testimony of the images themselves: taken as a
whole, the statuettes embody complementary and symmetrically opposed concepts –
beauty versus ugliness, male/female, age/youth, earth (dragon snake)/air (bird spirit),
human/animal, as they introduced hybrid creatures that combine human and animal
natures. Added to the imagery of other figurative arts of the oxus, like
the stone and
metal vessels, and the seals, the statuettes appear as part of a larger narrative where
opposite and complementary forces interact in the eternal battle of the cosmos, life
and death, the yearly cycle of nature, Wild and civilized, the attraction of Beauty for
the Beast. in the broader perspective of the cosmic speculations elaborated by the
mesopotamians and the indo iranians, central Asia acted as both an intermediary
and a creative centre in the construction of a complex universe in action.
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