No doubt the Bible is to blame, but idols have a bad reputation. Solomon ended up worshipping them and the naughty Hebrews made themselves a golden calf under the angry eye of Yahweh. At the Phoenix Ancient Art exhibition on Rue Verdaine, there is no calf, but there is some gold, a sumptuous collection of archaeological idols entirely from the prehistoric Mediterranean . “We stop around 2000 B.C.,” specifies C. Michael Hedquist in presenting this selection.

What is astonishing as you approach the dawn of civilization is how much they resemble one another in the earliest stages. Are we still in Anatolia , that crucible of cultures, or have we already arrived on the Iberian peninsula ? Do these alabaster cups come from the Cyclades , or from Egypt ? We find ourselves, when it comes to the universe of forms, still at the basic essentials. The specifics and the mannerisms will come at a much later point.

It all begins very early in the display cabinets, with some very small objects. “The most ancient comes from the south of France, a Venus with large hips in terracotta.” The itinerary then goes to Troy , which was reconstructed about ten times, the Balkans or to Greece .

The kinship with the quest of modern art is striking. That elongated head evokes some Modigliani sculptures; that other one, with the arched eyebrows, is reminiscent of Paul Klee. “For that matter, the collectors are often the same people.”

In this context, we must point out that almost all the pieces on display until October 29 th are for sale. Prices go from 1200 francs to infinity, or a bit less. “Certain visitors told us that these all belong in museums. If this were the case, they would overflow, since it seems to me that they are already very full.”

“Idols and Cult Objects from the Mediterranean” will be exhibited at Electrum, Exclusive Agent for Phoenix Ancient Art, S.A., 47 East 66 th Street, New York from December 8 th - January 27 th , Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 6 pm; Monday and Saturday 1 pm to 5pm. www.phoenixancientart.com