Anyone Know What These Are?

I'm afraid the only provenance I have is what I'm telling you; I found them in a house clearance. The person who lived there (they had died) was into archaeology judging from the literature and photographs there. My job was to empty the household of all items and dispose of them. The relatives had already taken anything of 'value' there. Other than that, I've offered to show my higher quality digital images to anyone who is interested. Do you care to see them?

Aside from the possibility of them being fake, the only other problem I can see with them is that one of them is depicted holding a 'corncob' Now corn is a New World crop is it not? Which would indicate a mercantile that stretched further than mainstream archaeology permits. Maybe that is why they are not in a museum?

And the other one.

She has lovely toes.

Dear Colonel!

Now that I know they are bronzes, then there does exist some scientific points that could be considered! Whilst I am no expert on metals, I have read that in some instances, the very site of the metals birth can sometimes be extracted from the chemicals found within small samples, but perhaps I am also wrong in suggesting this area of investigation!

Otherwise, I seem to detect a certain relationship to Etruscan works!

Concerning your reference to the "corn cob", could there exist the possibility that the item you refer to is not another fruit or grain?

I might even suggest that it might represent a famous and religiously regarded fruit with hundreds of seeds found within it?

As I just asked my wife, since I could not remember the name of this fruit, I merely asked her "Just what was the fruit--" when she said "pomegranate!", which was exactly the word I was looking for! Laugh!

My wife can sometimes read my mind!

Regards,

Dear Opus,

Well it does look like corn or maize. Hopefully someone here will know something/have seen something similar before. There seem to be many who are knowledgeable in this on here. Thanks everyone for the responses so far. It's much appreciated.