Cycladic Figures

The ancient stone heads and figures from the Cycladic Islands are nearly unique in their stark purity of form. The Cyclades (pronounced "KUCK-luh-deez") are a chain of windswept islands in the Aegean Sea to the southeast of Greece. During the late-stone age and early Bronze Age (3000 to 2500 BCE) it was the setting of a sophisticated civilization, nearly as advanced as the neighboring Minoan culture. They produced these beautifully shaped works of art out of the local white marble, using tools of wood, stone and bronze.

We understand little of their iconography, but most figures are female and are in a distinctive posture: lower arms crossed over the torso, knees slightly bent. They were probably goddess icons, suggesting that Cycladic society may well have been matriarchal. Some pieces still bear traces of pigment, indicating that they originally were polychromed.

The culture of the Cyclades was lost for millennia and the islands nearly deserted. A century ago, Cycladic figures began finding their way into museums and collections, where early modernist artists such as Giacometti and Modigliani fell under their influence.

When figures or heads appear at auction, they can sell for $100,000 or more. The demand for Cycladic figures has caused grave robbers to loot ancient tombs on the islands; in the process many figures have been broken into pieces or destroyed. There are perhaps 400 to 500 Cycladic figures extant today.