The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 15, 2026

A figurine carved from bone depicts a stylized head facing forward atop a long, tapering shaft. The face features a small triangular nose and narrow mouth above a horizontal ridge defining the neck. Small protrusions represent ears, with the left bearing a patch of green staining. The mottled tan and brown bone has a worn, textured surface that narrows to a point at the base.

Figurine

700s–900s

Iran, early Islamic period

carved bone
Overall: 3.1 cm (1 1/4 in.)
Gift of Edward Gans 1962.346
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Each earlobe is pierced. One is empty, while the other is filled with a substance which has turned the adjacent surface green.
  • Ernst Herzfeld (1879–1948)
    ?–1962
    Edward Gans [1887–1987?], Berkeley, CA, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1962–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review 1962.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 49, no. 9 (November 1962): 199–227. Mentioned: no. 151, p. 227 www.jstor.org
  • Year in Review (1963). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 27, 1963-January 5, 1964).
  • {{cite web|title=Figurine|url=false|author=|year=700s–900s|access-date=15 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1962.346