The Menil Collection The Menil Collection

Belonging to a type of marble figure nicknamed the “Stargazer” for the upward tilt of the head, this abstract human form was produced during the Late Chalcolithic period (4500–3500 BCE) in western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). The class is known as the Kilia type, named for an excavated example from Kilia, Turkey. The figures feature an oversized rhombus- or oval-shaped head with small projections indicating a nose, ears, and eyes; a slender neck connected to a relatively flat body with rounded shoulders; bent arms separate from the torso; and a tapering body. This example is mostly complete, having a previously repaired break at the neck and only missing its feet. Complete or mostly complete figures are rare, and few come from known archaeological contexts. Hundreds of fragments have been identified at an ancient marble workshop near the village of Kulaksizlar, Turkey, however, and future archaeological work may provide additional information about the figures and their function.