Minoan Statues


	Minoan Statuettes

Unlike the sculpture of Egypt or Mesopotamia, the surviving sculpture of Minoan art is small; perhaps they constructed larger works in wood which have not survived. These small statuettes, barely over a foot tall, are thought to represent goddess figures. One figure holds snakes and balances a feline creature on her head, which is probably a way of representing her control over the natural world. Like the gods of many ancient cultures, she is probably a fertility figure; she is also another example of human beings representing their gods in their own images.

Priestess with snakes Faience statuette

Art History for Humanities: Copyright © 1997 Bluffton College.
Text and image preparation by Mary Ann Sullivan. Design by Gerald W. Schlabach.

All images marked ^MAS were photographed on location by Mary Ann Sullivan. All other images were scanned from other sources or downloaded from the World Wide Web; they are posted on this password-protected site for educational purposes, at Bluffton College only, under the "fair use" clause of U.S. copyright law.

Page maintained by Gerald W. Schlabach, gws@bluffton.edu. Last updated: 10/20/97.

Unlike the sculpture of Egypt or Mesopotamia, the surviving sculpture of Minoan art is small; perhaps they constructed larger works in wood which have not survived. These small statuettes, barely over a foot tall, are thought to represent goddess figures. One figure holds snakes and balances a feline creature on her head, which is probably a way of representing her control over the natural world. Like the gods of many ancient cultures, she is probably a fertility figure; she is also another example of human beings representing their gods in their own images.
	Priestess with snakes	Faience statuette

Minoan Statuettes