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Black Chlorite Mythological Figure (“Scar-Face”)
Fara (Southern Iran), circa 2200 B.C.
Dimensions: 4.25 in (10.8 cm) high

  This extraordinary chlorite figure is most likely a representation of the “scarred man” or Narbemann: a Near Eastern demon often represented as a scaly man with a large, inlaid gash across his face. Although this particular piece is smooth-skinned, the striking scar complete with ivory inlay immediately identifies him as one of the largest and most elegant examples of this type.

The figure is modeled completely in the round in highly polished black chlorite. Some of the maker’s marks are still visible on the less finished surfaces. The face is quite striking with its juxtaposition of precise, linear decoration and heavy, rounded volumes. He bears the characteristic scar across the right side of his face with the original ivory inlay still intact. The streak of white cuts across his oval face, breaking up the stolid masses of the large, impassive head. The forehead is low and sloping ending in a heavy, protruding brow. The eyes would have been of inlaid calcite or limestone – now missing – set carefully into the incised sockets. The cheeks are smooth and broad, and the nose is long, straight, and wide.

The plane of the left cheek is interrupted by what looks like a bed for a second inlaid scar. The mouth is simply incised with a hole drilled in both the upper and lower lip. According to Ghirshman, the holes may have indicated ties to seal the mouth, silencing the demon .

The drilled mortise and projecting tenon at the top of the head suggests that he once wore a cap. The hair is parted in the center, starting from underneath where his cap would have been, and covers the sides and back of the head in neatly incised chevrons. A curly beard extends from ear to ear. It is covered in small, incised circles with holes drilled in their centers to represent curls.

The rest of the torso is in keeping with the heavy proportions of the face. Broad rounded shoulders connect to a wide, flat chest, slightly protruding belly, and thick left arm. The left arm is bent at a right angle, and he holds a small rectangular container in his open palm. This container might represent a vessel for holding sacred or ritual waters. Like the face, the body is smoothly polished and shows only the most basic renderings of musculature. The sculptor relies on the sheer size and volumetric proportions of the piece to convey the sense of strength and unflinching masculinity instead.

There are a number of similarities between this piece and the example of the “scarred man” at the Louvre. Although the Louvre example has scales on the body, they both bear the traditional scar on the right side of the face, and have the same bodily proportions. In addition, both pieces have the small holes on each lip. Like the Louvre “scarred man”, this piece was once inserted into a skirt of a different material. His midriff bulges above the tang where he was once inserted, and he probably would have had a separately attached right arm and legs as well, making him a truly composite creature.

According to Ghirshman, this piece was found in a cache of six similar figures . Of the group, this fragmentary example was one of the largest. This piece dates from the Late 3rd to the early 2nd Millennium B.C, with an approximate date of 2200 B.C., from the site of Fara in Southern Iran. Two other complete scarred men – one from the Foroughi Collection in Tehran and the other, also originally from the Foroughi Collection, which appeared in the June 5, 1999 sale at Sotheby’s – support this general chronology. They all share the same proportions and distinguishing characteristics, including the Louvre example (which is also from Fara). The main differences are that this particular piece is much larger than most known examples and that it completely smooth while the other statuettes have scales incised all over their bodies.

This unadorned state gives our “scarred man” an unusual elegance and refinement not completely in keeping with the slightly coarser, more animalistic impression one might get from the scaled figures. As a result, our figure becomes of even greater interest to the enthusiast of Near Eastern antiquities. Not only is the “Scar-Face” itself powerful and commanding, possessing a beautifully refined aesthetic that is truly unique for statuettes of this type, there remain physical traces of the workmanship involved in the creation of the figure. The still-visible chisel marks serve to connect this extraordinary piece even more eloquently with its history and past. The forcefulness of expression and the strength and elegance of form all help to enhance the appeal of this striking figure.

Published:
Ghirshman, “Notes Iraniennes XII, Statuettes Archaiques du Fars(Iran), “ Artibus Asiae, vol. XXVI, 1963, fig 9-10.

Bibliography:
Aruz, J. and R. Wallenfels, eds. Art of the First Cities: The Third Millenium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus. Yale University Press, New Haven: 2003.
Smithsonian Institute. 7000 Years of Iranian Art. Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.: 1964-5.
Sotheby’s. Sale #7323. New York: June 5, 1999.