Violin-shaped figurine

Violin-shaped figurines, thus named because their profile resembles that of a violin or fiddle, are the most common type of schematic representation of the human body in the Early Cycladic I period (3200-2800 BC).

Developed from the violin-shaped figures of the Neolithic Age (5300-3200 BC), they are usually small, very thin, with a long rod-like projection denoting the head and neck, and two wide notches at the sides forming the “waist” of the body.

Several examples show an incised pubic triangle, while modeled breasts appear rarely, indicating the female sex of the figures.