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Details / Information for Vinca Idol

Vinca Idol

4500–3500 BCE
fired clay with paint
Overall: 16.1 cm (6 5/16 in.)
Gift of Bruce Ferrini 2000.201
Location: 106A Migration Period & Coptic
Public Domain
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Did You Know?

If you look closely, you can see remnants of red pigment on this diminutive figure.

Description

This statuette, probably a cult idol, dates to the Neolithic Era which saw the development of farming and human technology. It is extraordinarily well preserved and derives from the settlement at Vinca in modern Serbia. This flourishing culture was the largest known in Europe at that time, extending along the Danube into the Balkans and Central Europe. Thousands of clay statuettes have been discovered in the region's Vinca settlements suggestive of the intense magic-religious practices within the Vinca culture. This statuette is anthropomorphic, or human-shaped, and is presumed to have been used for ritual purposes. The use of red paint is typical of Vinca Neolithic figurines, and few have survived in such excellent condition.
Human-like clay statuette with a rounded triangular head etched with semicircle eyes, accentuated hips, and arms that end after the shoulders. The figure has been etched to give the impression of clothing and is painted in chipped black and red paint.

Vinca Idol

4500–3500 BCE

Serbia, Vinça culture, Neolithic Era

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