Neolithic Venus from Vidra, Romania

3D Model

Female statuette-vessel, modeled without a head. The silhouette is notable for the massiveness of the upper half of the body. The thin arms preserve the proportion of the vessel’s handles. The palms, with the five fingers in a non-anatomical position, have been exaggerated in size to have a larger surface area for the base of the handles to grip the vessel’s body. The incised decoration, consisting of concentric circles, triangles and other figurative elements arranged in the anatomical-functional parts of the human body, symbolizes fecundity, fertility and the practice of solar worship. The statuette is unique among similar Neolithic pieces in Europe. For conservation reasons, the statuette is not exhibited in the museum’s main exhibition, being in danger of destruction due to its fragility and age.

The statuette dates back to the Neolithic, Gumelnița culture, around 5000 BC. Place of discovery: Ilfov county, Vidra commune, Vidra, Vidra Tell.