Ancient 2,500 BC Cycladic marble head lead Cottone's auction

An outstanding Cycladic marble head dating from 2,500 BC with impeccable provenance soared to $188,800

The Cycladic marble head, a prime example of the elegance achieved by Cycladic sculptors of the 3rd millennium BC, was easily the top-selling lot in an auction grossing around $2.6 million. These so-called Cycladic figurines or idols come from the homonymous Greek island chain in the Aegean Sea, where they were discovered in select graves. They almost certainly fulfilled a religious function that largely eludes us today, but probably involved fertility and rebirth as the figurines are often pregnant. In the early 20th century, artists such as Picasso, Modigliani, and Brancusi admired and were deeply influenced by the Cycladic aesthetic in their work... EIN News