2nd millennium BC. A bronze figurine of a nude male standing with hands folded to the midriff, the face with exaggerated nose and eyes, crescent mouth and triangular beard. Cf. Aruz, J. Art of the First Cities. The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus, New York, 2003, item 39 for similar stance. 157 grams, 94cm (3 1/4"). From a private collection, Lancashire, UK; acquired on the UK art market; previously in an early 1990s London collection. The use of figurines in a similar stance, standing straight with the hands folded together on the chest, is usually associated with acts of prayer and worship. Aruz (2003) offers many examples of the type in ceramic, bronze and limestone. Some apparently formed part of the foundation deposit for impressive and important buildings; when re-building was necessary, the original figures were re-buried with subsequent re-dedication figures offering a visual summary of the site's construction history.