Figurines and Their History

No one agrees on when figurines first became part of the human psyche. Were they grave goods? Fertility symbols? Religious icons? The right answer is probably "all of the above." What matters to me is not the when but the why. Maybe that's something we can explore together in this blog.

Some of the earliest figurines are often called "Venus figurines". They are small, rounded figures depicting the female form. The figures have pendulous breasts and rounded bellies. Many examples, mostly from Europe, are carved from limestone. There are clay versions and they are among the earliest examples of fired clay.
The Venus figurines are fascinating to me. I remember reading about them as a child and wondering at their significance.

Those very early figurines, from a pre-agricultural world, are crude in comparison to later Minoan and Greek figures. We have examples of Minoan Iron Age terracotta figurines with excellent facial detail. To my mind the earliest ancestors of our modern figurines are the Tanagra figurines of fourth century (BCE) Greece. They are named for the Boeotian town of Tanagra. The figurines were coated with a liquid before firing and then painted afterwards. Probably the best known example is the "Dame en Bleu" ("Lady in Blue") at the Louvre.

Tanagra figures depict real people in everyday costume, wearing hats or carrying fans. The examples found are mostly women, but there are figurines of men and children -- boys actually. Typically they are about 4 to 8 inches high. What inspired someone or some group, most likely, to create these little gems? Scholars think they probably had religious or ceremonial significance. Maybe they were used in rituals. Many have been found at grave sites. Some may have been worn as jewelry or intended to amuse children.

Porcelain became a common material for figurines. In China, where the art of creating porcelain originated, the artists and craftsmen made figurines, but what they are know for is the wares -- the plates and vases and cups. The delicate beauty of those early ceramics is unparalleled. And when Europeans saw the wonders of porcelain, they were driven to replicate the process. The first European porcelain figurines, produced in a process mastered in Germany, were known as Meissen ware after the city where it began.

Modern figurines come in many styles. Some of the best known makers include: Hummel, Lenox, Precious Moments, Royal Doulton and Lladró.