Unprovenanced

Unprovenanced, allegedly ancient Celtic figure from Burgundy, France :

a limestone carving, 32 centimetres high, offered for sale by a gallery in Paris in 2026.

« An important bas-relief depicting three figures, carved from a reworked block possibly re-used in a Merovingian or pre-Romanesque building.
The figure on the right is thus a precursor to the Sheela-na- Gig and the two-tailed mermaids of the Romanesque period.
Her arms and legs are joined, and a vulva is visible in the crotch, suggesting a fertility cult.

« Its attribution to the Second Iron Age is confirmed by the presence of a torque,
the modelling of the torso and the hairstyle of the main figure (resembling the figures on the Gundestrup cauldron).
The three figures are also reminiscent of the Gallic Matrones, often depicted in triads,
which reinforces the presumption of a fertility cult.
Our sculpture is a rare example pre-dating the Roman conquest, having inspired figurative representations in the Middle Ages. »

(see below for original French description by the Ekinium Gallery)

A lot of the above is supposition.
Which 'Merovingian building', where in Burgundy?
How do they actually know it is from Burgundy ?

And why (if it is pre-Roman or Gallo-Roman) & where would this small stone have been inserted ?
Who found it and when ?

The accentuated ribs are typical of many (including some Romanesque) exhibitionists,

The vulva is a bit too sharply carved...but if it was 'enhanced'
(or even converted from the penis of an antique figure)
it would not be exceptional, and might suggest that it is not fraudulent.

However, a vulva is no indication of a "fertility-cult" whatever that means.
(It means whatever you like !)

If genuine, it could well have served, some magical purpose, probably apotropaic,

but the gallery sells some very dodgy stuff, such as these tiny figures,
allegedly from Ulster (two-thirds of which comprises Northern Ireland),
which are blatant fakes.

A famous Merovingian site in Burgundy is at Luxueil-les-Bains,
which was founded by the Irish Saint Columbanus at the end of the sixth century...

read article in French

Bas relief celtique. Période gauloise.
Origine : France, Bourgogne

Matière : Pierre calcaire

Dimensions : H 32cm - L 37cm - P 26cm

Époque : 2ème-1er siècle avant JC.

Condition : Erosion

Prix : 2 900€

Important bas-relief représentant 3 personnages, bloc retaillé
et vraisemblablement utilisé en remploi dans un édifice mérovingien ou pré-roman.
Le personnage de droite est ainsi un précurseur des Sheela Na Gig et des sirènes bicaudales de l'époque romane.
Ses bras et ses jambes se rejoignent, et une vulve est visible dans l'entrejambe, évoquant un culte de la fertilité.

L'attribution au deuxième age du fer est confirmée par la présence d'un torque,
le modelé du torse et la coiffure du personnage principal
(similarité avec les personnages du chaudron de Gundestrup).
Les trois personnages rappellent également les Matrones gauloises, souvent représentées en triades,
ce qui renforce la présomption du culte de fertilité.
Notre sculpture est un rare exemple antérieure à la conquête romaine,
ayant inspiré les représentations figurées du moyen-âge.

Killinaboy church, county Clare, Ireland:
the first exhibitionist that I ever saw,
in 1971, with my mother.
The figure stands above to doorway.