Iberian Peninsula to the indus

C.A.
Bibliography
: lyonnet 2005; Vidale 2017.

---

225
224
clAy fiGureS from
South turKmeniStAn
G
iancarlo ligabue was instrumental in the scientific rediscovery of the an-
cient civilizations of central Asia. the excavations he sponsored in Southern 
turkmenistan, the site of Adji Kui, brought a better understanding of the 
evolution from village economy to urban societies and revealed a distinctive produc-
tion of baked clay figures.
in the old World, terracotta figurines were the mainstream expression of pop-
ular beliefs since the neolithic period. those from central Asia precede the arrival 
of the oxus culture and endured into the Bronze and iron Age. early images were 
confined to animals – mostly bulls and sheep – in ulug depe and to naked female 
figures, well represented at the sites of Altyn tepe and namazga. they are generally 
depicted seated or reclining,
their body may be a flat plaque cut into a combination 
of triangles, an allusion to the pubic area folded at the waist or at the groin, or three 
dimensional, with overemphasized hips and thighs and shortened torso. in all cases, 
the arms are absent or reduced to stumps, the head is a mere stump, brought to 
life by the addition “coffee bean” eyes
.
such figures were found in the houses of the 
living and in the tombs as well as possible cultic or public meeting places and may 
have been an important part in social life.
With the arrival of the urban revolution of the Bronze Age and the changes it 
brought to society, new terracotta types were introduced, in a much more limited 
number than female figures, an indication of hierarchy: the best examples were 
found at Adji Kui – large male figures, their body constructed of boldly assembled 
triangles, naked displaying their genitalia. unlike the reclining female figures, these 
masculine statuettes stand independently on their solid, slightly parted legs and 
confront the spectator
.
C.A.
Bibliography
: rossi osmida 2007.
1
CAPTION???
Following pages
Aerial of the excavations at Gonur 
depe (Turkmenistan), a major centre
of the Oxus Culture: the central citadel

---

227
226

---

228
75
“oxuS lady” WitH Bird Body
Eastern Iran, Central Asia
Oxus Culture (ca. 2200–1800 BC)
Chlorite, limestone and lapis lazuli,
H. 9.1 cm, W. 16.8 cm
Private Collection, UK
This piece is unique among all 
the “Oxus Lady” statuettes, in its 
combination of a human head with 
the body of a bird. The human head is 
set vertically, as in the triangular type 
of “Oxus Lady” (
no. 76–78
), and the 
composite technique of combined 
pieces of different stone is typical of 
the Oxus culture.
The spread wings and the fan-shaped 
tail are shown 
en face
in a heraldic 
attitude. Part of the wings and the tail 
are covered with feathers engraved 
with vertical striated elements; 
the r
emaining part is finely incised 
with continuous parallel wavy lines, 
evocative of flowing water or hair. The 
upper part of the wings is shaped in a 
sort of mantle with a raised coverlet. 
As in many statuettes of the “Oxus 
Lady”, the face shows delicate details 
of the nose and mouth but not the 
eyes: they may have been painted 
instead of sculpted; but the “blind 
look” suggests the figure may have 
something to do with the world of 
the dead and came from a funerary 
context.
Winged goddesses are present in 
the arts of the Oxus, notably on seals 
where the anthropomorphic female 
figure dominates felines and snakes 
(
no. 91
). Birds seen 
en face
appear on 
statuettes and seals and on the rim of 
vessels in precious metal. Birds with 
human heads occur in a number of 
cultures – Greece, Egypt, the Near 
East – and are generally considered to 
embody the spirits of air and heavens, 
or alternately, of the Underworld. 
C.A.

---

231
230
76
triangular “oxuS lady”
Eastern Iran, Central Asia
Oxus Culture (ca. 2200–1800 BC)
Lazuli, copper alloy, H. 3.5 cm, W. 3 cm
Private Collection, Paris
An important variant in the multiple 
aspects of the “Oxus Lady” shows a 
flat triangular plaque in dark stone, 
chlorite or lapis lazuli, with a female 
head erected vertically.
1
The head 
is generally carved of white stone 
contrasting in colour with the dark 
body; the eyes are often not depicted, 
giving it a blind look. The rare copper 
alloy head of 
no. 76
, would have 
looked originally golden before 
oxidation of the metal set in. The flat 
body is divided in the middle by a 
deep groove, on each side of which 
parallel wavy lines are bordered by 
raised undulating flaps. The fine wavy 
lines of the garment do not depict 
the usual woolly fleece of the dress 
of the “Oxus Lady”: in their sinuous 
continuity, they are suggestive of 
flowing water and the probable 
power of the “Oxus Lady” over that 
primordial element.
C.A.
1
Pottier 1984.
77
triangular “oxuS lady”
Eastern Iran, Central Asia 
Oxus Culture (ca. 2200–1800 BC)
Chlorite, limestone, H. 4 cm, W. 12 cm
Private Collection, Paris
78
triangular “oxuS lady”
Eastern Iran, Central Asia
Oxus Culture (ca. 2200–1800 BC)
Chlorite, limestone, W. 11 cm
Private Collection, London

---

233
232
79
Standing “oxuS lady”
Eastern Iran, Central Asia
Oxus Culture (ca. 2200–1800 BC)
Chlorite, limestone,
H. 20 cm, W. 10 cm
Private Collection, Paris 
The statuettes of the “Oxus Lady” are 
typical of the Bronze Age civilization 
of the Oxus.
1
They were distributed 
over a large geographic area, during 
a long time, between ca. 2300 and 
1800/1700 BC. They are made in the 
composite technique used also for 
the “Scarface”, assembling pieces 
in different colours and stones. They 
are depicted standing, seated or 
squatting, the body entirely hidden 
by a heavy garment, dress and 
mantle, finely engraved with the tufts 
of a woolly fleece derived from the 
Sumerian Kaunakes. The fleece itself 
is engraved in an infinity of designs 
which are probably significant: thin 
wavy stripes flowing like a stream of 
water are reminiscent of the triangular 
figures, perhaps a water spirit like the 
triangular statuettes (
n° 76–78
); long 
tufts may radiate from the shoulder 
like the rays of a star, designating the 
“Oxus Lady” as perhaps an astral 
spirit; or like feathers, suggesting a 
bird nature (
see n° 75
). The “Ligabue 
Lady” (
no. 86
) is so far the only such 
figure wearing a smooth garment, 
perhaps because it was left unfinished, 
perhaps because the sculptor broke 
with the tradition, achieving a bold 
geometric design. “Lady” 
no. 86
is 
a rare example of a dress cut from 
a large block of lapis lazuli, instead 
of the typical chlorite: as is often the 
case in working with lapis lazuli, the 
carving tends to be broader than the 
finely incised chlorite, resulting here in 
a powerful whirl-like movement of the 
woolly tufts. When the “Lady” is seen 
squatting on her knees, the draping 
of the garment around the torso and 
the back creates strong diagonals, 
resulting in attractive, differently 
oriented waves of the fleece. In the 
standing figures, voluminous sleeves 
give poise and balance to the image 
(
nos. 79–80
). The “block” statuettes 
whose body is made in one piece of 
chlorite (
nos. 84–85
) are seated on a 
stool or throne, usually hidden by the 
garment: the example (
cat. 84
) is an 
exception where the stool is carved 
from the back of the dress. Another 
variant of the seated “Lady” is the 
thin and elongated body, clad in a 
straight skirt, and folded in angular 
position that recalls the figures on 
the seals (
see no. 91
): the separate 
stone elements are assembled at 
the knees like the pieces of a puzzle 
(
nos. 87–88 PR DD
). The white head 
always contrasts in colour with 
the dark dress and head piece. It 
is generally sculpted with a finely 
detailed nose and mouth; the place 
of the eyes is sometimes left blank, 
and the blind effect suggests the 
depiction of a blind “seer”, endowed 
with mysterious powers. Others have 
eyes incrusted in coloured material 
for a more impressive look, or their 
large eyes were reserved in relief 
during the carving of the face. Many 
statuettes still possess an additional 
piece of stone for the hair, arranged 
in a wig, an elaborate bun or a turban, 
in a large variety of styles, from the 
“pill box” (no. 
81
) to the “Spanish 
comb” (
no. 83
). It is always a question 
whether the separate head, wig and 
dress part belong to each other: the 
examples found in the excavations 
of Gonur indicate that they may have 
been exchanged in the course of the 
“life” of the statuette before final 
deposition. More than a hundred 
“Oxus Lady” statuettes have been 
recovered so far (not including 
probable forgeries). A few are known 
to have been deposited in the tombs 
of women of high status and were first 
interpreted as images of “Bactrian 
princesses”. The “Oxus Lady” is 
depicted on other figurative artefacts 
from the Bactrian - Oxus civilization 
of the Bronze Age, as vessels in metal 
and stone, seals and adornments. 
There, she is depicted taking part in 
banquet feasts or associated with wild 
and mythological beasts, felines and 
snakes. The statuettes themselves 
allude to the fundamental elements – 
air, water, and earth (as representative 
of the underworld) – in a narrative that 
incites to recognize a divine nature in 
these graceful images. The question 
of the repetition of apparently similar 
figures, classifiable into types and 
answering to similar iconographic 
codes, is still debated. Owning such a 
statuette may have been a necessity 
for a large number of specific persons 
(women?), who wished to confess their 
faith or advertise their appurtenance 
to an identity. But each figure is 
unique and individual, the creation of 
a master sculptor.
C.A.
1
See Pottier 1984; Amiet 1986; Benoit 2010; 
Benoit 2011; Francfort 2003; Vidale 2017.

---

235
234
80
Standing “oxuS lady”
Eastern Iran, Central Asia
Oxus Culture (ca. 2200–1800 BC)
Chlorite, limestone, H. 18.5 cm
Private Collection, Paris