C. 3rd millennium BC. Indus Valley. A lovely buff-coloured handmade fertility idol of characteristically abstract form with delineated legs, curved arms holding an object, voluptuous breasts situated beneath an incised pectoral collar, and broad shoulders. The highly stylized face presents with impressed circular eyes, a narrow nose, slender lips, and tall forehead topped with a neatly arranged coiffure. The Indus Valley Civilisation was an important Bronze Age culture which arose in c. 3300 BC and lasted until c. 1300, though its heyday, to which this idol belongs, was in the 3rd millennium BC. These fertility figures are common in the Indus Valley, and likely represent offerings to a deity in exchange for fertility and a healthy pregnancy. Excellent condition.Size: L:120mm / W:40mm ; 45g; Provenance: Property of a North London professional; previously acquire on the UK/European art market in the 1970s.