A CYCLADIC MARBLE IDOL - FORMER COLLECTIONS OF SIR JACOB EPSTEIN (1880–1959) & CARLO MONZINO (1933–1996) Early Cycladic, Early Spedos type, approx. 2600–2500 BC. Attributed to the “Karo” sculptor. White marble with minimal pigment residue, known as “ghost paint.” Full-figured female idol. Harmonious, lyre-shaped head with a short, well-proportioned nose transitioning directly into a receding forehead and an ellipsoid chin. Relatively short neck, only slightly thickening toward the shoulders. The shoulders are markedly arched, with the shoulder line at the same height. The torso is stocky and compact with widely spaced, raised breasts. The hands are clasped under the chest, almost completely covering the abdomen. The left arm is crossed over the right, forming a slight diagonal. Narrow lower abdominal fold. Curvy, protruding hips, tucked in at the knees, slightly spread lower legs with spread feet. Deeply indented thigh cleft, at knee level and opening down to the ankles. Hinted, incised toes. Neck and back in a straight line with a notch from the spine to the thighs. Legs angled, positioned slightly in front of the torso. With a plexiglass stand and box. H 17.8 cm, W 5.5 cm. Restored breaks. Surface cleaned. Incrustations in places. Dark, punctiform deposits. Scratches on the hip. Provenance: - Sir Jacob Epstein Collection (1880–1959). - Carlo Monzino Collection (1933–1996). - Gordian Weber Gallery, Cologne. - By inheritance, now in a private collection in Suisse romande. Exhibited: The Arts Council of Great Britain: The Epstein Collection of Tribal and Exotic Sculpture. London 1960, No. 321 (mentioned without illustration as part of a lot of eight Cycladic idols). Literature: - William B. Fagg: The Epstein Collection of Tribal and Exotic Sculpture. Exhibition catalog for the Arts Council of Great Britain. London 1960, No. 321. - Ezio Bassani & Malcolm D. McLeod: Jacob Epstein Collector. Mailand 1989, S. 55, Abb. 72A; S. 56, Abb. 73 & S. 199, Abb. 907. Hardly any other early historical artifacts fascinate modern viewers as much as these marble idols from the Cycladic cultures. Cycladic idols are among the most astonishing and mysterious artifacts of the Neolithic and early Bronze Age. The figures are named after the places where they were found on the Cycladic islands of Greece. The first examples date back to around 5000 BC, with the artistic peak being reached around 2500 BC during the Early Cycladic II period of the Keros-Syros culture (ca. 2700–2400/2300 BC). The predominantly female figures are characterized by their reduction to simple, human body forms, their abstraction, and their stylization. A feeling of timelessness and sublimity arises when viewing these figures, which, in their apparent minimalism, nevertheless possess an irrepressible radiance and presence. It is all the more astonishing that this seemingly minimalist character turns out to be an illusion upon closer analysis. Pigment residues testify to a lively polychromy, similar to what one might imagine in later archaic and Hellenistic sculptures. The Cycladic idol on offer impressively exemplifies stylistic features attributed to the so-called “Karo” sculptor. The conventional name goes back to Patricia Getz-Preziosi, who has been an authority in the field of Cycladic idol research since the 1970s. The “Karo” sculptor is credited with a small body of work consisting of stylistically comparable early Cycladic marble idols of the early Spedos type. In “Personal Styles in Early Cycladic Sculpture” from 2001, Getz-Preziosi distinguishes between two basic types within the early Spedos variant, styles A and B. Put simply, style A is characterized by strongly curved shapes and arched contours, whereas pieces in style B appear more linear and angular. The specimen on offer, with its distinct curves, compactness, and gentle volumetry, therefore belongs to style group A (cf. Patricia Getz-Preziosi: Personal Styles in Early Cycladic Sculpture. Wisconsin 2001, pp. 38–39). In an undated letter in our possession, Getz-Preziosi argues that the figure on offer should be attributed to the “Karo” sculptor. Although the idol on offer is the second smallest piece attributed to the sculptor, the stylistic features typical of his work support such an attribution. The archaeologist refers to numerous examples from the above-cited article (ibid., pp. 74–121). Particularly comparable are Nos. 2–7, which have identical outlines. Further parallels can be seen in the similar facial physiognomy with the ellipsoidal chin and high nose. The similarly compact torso areas and a similar elaboration of the abdominal folds also stand up to comparison. Likewise, the strikingly long break below the knees and the raised feet, which stand away from the torso, indicate a relationship with the body of work of the “Karo” sculptor. Two similar Cycladic idols from the former collection of Ernst and Hildy Beyeler, Basel, were once sold at Christie's New York (June 8, 2012, lot 52) and Christie's London (December 6, 2017, lot 32) and were also linked to the “Karo” sculptor, although the London example has more angular, less curved shoulders. Despite its small size and natural, subtle differences, according to Getz-Preziosi, the idol on offer, with its delicate appearance and long notch in the leg, clearly belongs to an advanced phase in the stylistic development of the sculptor, who usually worked on a larger scale. This is probably why Getz-Preziosi also calls the idol on offer a “little jewel” within the “Karo” oeuvre as a whole. The Cycladic idol on offer is also a stroke of luck for collectors due to its renowned provenance. It is considered certain that the idol was once part of the private collection of the sculptor Jacob Epstein (New York 1880–1959 London) (cf. William B. Fagg: The Epstein Collection of Tribal and Exotic Sculpture. Exhibition catalog for the Arts Council of Great Britain. London 1960, No. 321.). Jacob Epstein was a central figure in the London art scene in the first half of the 20th century. As a collector in particular, he contributed significantly to raising the profile of indigenous or so-called “exotic” art from Africa, America, and Oceania in the Western art world. Born the son of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, Epstein studied painting and sculpture in New York and in Paris at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts before settling permanently in London in 1905. He was knighted in 1954. He discovered his interest in early Greek works during his visits to the Louvre and, from 1905, to the British Museum, where he studied the Elgin Marbles and Greek, Egyptian, African, and Polynesian sculptures in depth. After Jacob Epstein's death, the Italian collector Carlo Monzino (Milan 1933–1996 Switzerland) acquired a large part of his collection in the 1960s, including the idol on offer. Monzino, in turn, moved to Castagnola (Switzerland) in the late 1960s. Monzino's collecting activities overlapped with those of Jacob Epstein. For over forty years, he collected high-quality tribal art and contemporary post-war art.