Ancient Cypriot Bone Idol

Formerly in the Cypriot art collection of zoologist and ethnologist Desmond Morris (1928- ).

A RARE CYPRIOT BONE IDOL FORMERLY IN THE COLLECTION OF FAMED ZOOLOGIST DESMOND MORRIS

Formerly in the collection of famed zoologist and ethnologist Desmond Morris, this ancient Cypriot bone idol represents a stylized human-like figure, possibly the deity Inanna (Ishtar). Evincing a highly geometric form, the eyes are incised as two concentric circles around a dot; the mouth as two parallel lines; eyebrows are represented by hatched lines; and the top of the head incised with horizontal lines topped with a series of chevrons indicating a headdress or hairstyle.

This figure shares a remarkable affinity with the "eye idols" of Tell Brak, Syria, where such items were most likely offerings to the Mesopotamian gods. In the Chalcolithic Period and Early Bronze Age, immigrants and traders would likely have brought their gods with them from the Near East to Cyprus, and this idol may well represent Inanna (Ishtar), the goddess of love, fertility, and war.

Stylized images of the human form are iconic of early Cypriot art. In modifying the human form to emphasize its significant or symbolic features, Cypriot artists established their own identity, distinct from the naturalistic depictions of their neighbors in Egypt or Mesopotamia. Moreover, different styles can be grouped according to the period in which they were made, from the tall and slender figures of the Chalcolithic Period (4000-2400 BCE), to the blocky plank figures of the Early and Middle Bronze Ages (2400-1600 BCE). Despite their differences, many of these depictions have been associated with fertility, spiritual protection, or ancestor worship.

The former owner of this bone idol, the celebrated author of The Naked Ape, Desmond Morris (1928- ) became fascinated by the art of ancient Cyprus "the moment [he] walked into Room Two of the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia..." As he later recalled, "There I found vessels and figurines exuding a cheerful inventiveness of such warmth and intensity that I became immediately infatuated..." Returning to England, he set out to curate a remarkable collection. For Morris, the "rich playfulness" of the ancient Cypriot artists, "their bold self-confidence in experimenting with novel shapes...their imaginative verve in developing highly stylized forms" were a revelation. Over nine years, he amassed 1100 objects, curating the finest collection of Cypriot work outside of Cyprus. Encouraged by Vassos Karageorghis, then director of the Department of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus, he published his collection in the seminal work, The Art of Ancient Cyprus (1985), illustrating it with his own drawings and photographs.