Fertility figurine

This statuette, moulded in clay and hand-modelled to depict a stylised, flat female figure, exemplifies a particular group of ancient Egyptian figurines undoubtedly associated with the concept of fertility. It is clearly signalled by not only her nakedness, but also the exaggerated hips and the attention paid to plastically emphasise the breasts and the pubic area. However, in terms of manufacture, this particular piece sharply differentiates from the stylistic conventions of ancient Egyptian female figurines produced from the New Kingdom to the Late Period.
Following the initial moulding of the schematised figure, the accessories, such as the coiffure or wig, the eyes and the breasts, were modelled by hand and applied separately to the body. The statuette has no nose or mouth, and the breasts are set remarkably high on her chest. The pubic triangle is stippled and incised with a pointed tool at the junction of the markedly heavy thighs. Both of her roughly-shaped arms are curving and held in front of her hips. Originally, the lower part of her body was tapered in a distinctive V-shape, but the legs are now broken off below the knees.
Similar clay sculptures symbolising fertility in the form of abstract female figures made using this simple technique have been found in a good number in other areas of the ancient Near East. As for the Egyptian specimens, their “primitive” appearance played a role in the fact that they were formerly dated to the Second Intermediate Period or the New Kingdom. However, figurines found in the Theban region with proper archaeological context suggest that variations of this type were typical of Upper Egypt, from the Third Intermediate Period to the end of the Late Period. Prevailing scholarly theories tend to consider these fertility figurines as votive offerings deposited in tombs, domestic shrines and temples of the goddesses Hathor, Mut or Anuket to promote successful conception and grant divine blessings in the perilous time of early childhood.