Male figurine (Buret')

The figurine is large, it has a convex massive middle part. It shows a man in bent position with the seat highly raised. The volume with flattened buttocks is highlighted with a high form. The proportions of the figurine are unusual: front and back do not match: in the front the figurine has short legs, sagging belly, massive facial part; in the back the figurine has a small head, long legs. The head is rounded with an elongated face. The face part is made accurately. The forehead part has a strongly marked calvity. The eyes are rounded, the nose is thin. The chin is massive overhanging chest slightly, beard (?). The well-made hairdo ornamented with wavy lines covers the ears and descends to the shoulders. The shoulders are sloping, massive arms are highlighted with thin lines and are located along the body. The chest is flat. The belly overhangs legs. The womb area is emphasized by a massive oval-shaped triangular protrusion. The legs are straight and are divided by deep groove. In the middle of the groove there is a diamond-shaped hole. In the belly area there is a thin line which is at an angle to the belt line. 



Manufacturing technique

The blank shape is elongated. We can see some initial manufacturing traces in the lower part of the figurine, in the middle part and on the shoulders (the traces of a planning knife). The most part of the item has traces of the treatment with a push-plane. When shaping the details a cutting tool was used. Its traces are read on the womb, legs and arms. When shaping the headgear, eye sockets and nose, a burin was used. A cutting tool was used for shaping the hairdo and face. Also resembling a cutting tool was used for making the diagonal dissection of the peritoneum with two unidirectional movements of the tool (it was made some time after using the figurine). The action was performed under high pressure, which led to the formation of a vertical crack, that is dangerous for the safety of the item (the crack is along the whole statuette). The hole was made with a reamer. 


Use-wear traces

The surface is well-preserved. The protruding parts of the item have some traces of polishing due to a contact with soft organic material. Traces of hanging at the front side of the hole are not found.  


Storage location

Irkutsk Regional Art Museum

Inventory number

КП 6731 С377

Size

Height - 52 mm

Width (average) - 19 mm

Thickness (average) - 10 mm


Material

Ivory

Dating

19-23 th years BC

Culture

Mal'ta-Buret' archaeological culture

The author of the excavations

Okladnikov A.P.
1940

Publications

Okladnikov A.P. Paleoliticheskie zhenskie statuetki Bureti. // MIA SSSR №79, 1960. S. 282 - 284