So, like the sculptures of Greece and Rome that mostly survive in pristine monochrome, Cycladic figures have come to represent an aesthetic — in this case, modernism — that differs from that of their creation. When such objects were first discovered, in the 19th century, it was their starkness that made them reviled. However, it is a happy accident that their streamlined forms seem to prefigure styles of 20th century art, as they have come tobe embraced, appreciated, collected, and preserved as a result.

Some figures retain variations in surface preservation in the outlines of long-gone paint. These barely visible details are called “paint ghosts”.

Various styles evolved on different islands through time. These styles have been given names such as “Speedos variety”, “Dokathismata variety”, “Plastiras type”, etc. Also, individual artists’ styles have been discerned and where that occurs, the anonymous artist has been granted a name, usually based on the name piece’s modern collection location. Cycladic figurative sculptures range in size from miniature to life-size. The production of the largest figures suggests that well-organized and stratified societies.

The most frequent type is a female with arms across the midriff. The breasts and the pubic triangle — the essences of fertility — remain visible. Thus, some scholars believe that the figures are representative of a mother-goddess or fertility cult. The feet are rarely in a flat position that would permit the sculptures to stand upright. Rather, the feet are usually pointed. Thus, the likely disposition of the figures was in a reclining position, something that encrustation analysis supports.

What do the figures mean and how were they used? Those questions are still being investigated. But as with all ancient artifacts that are not purely functional or decorative, cult and ritual practice, religious worship, afterlife intercession, or ancestor reverence are all possible rationales for the creation of these magnificent works.

Cycladic art has long been a key favorite in the Merrin Gallery’s collection and, as the New York Times reported in 1989, Ed Merrin caused quite a stir in the market.

This volume will be the start of a series of publications. It will be available in August 2011, to hit book stores for the full run for the Christmas season 2011.

Founder and former owner of New York’s Fifth Avenue Merrin Gallery, Edward Merrin has, together with his wife Vivian, been at the forefront of garden design, flower arrangements, and other nature-inspired pursuits. The Merrin couple are also avid philanthropists, having recently made donations to aid financial programs at Tufts University for students who otherwise would not be able to attend.

Edward Merrin has been involved with various charities, NGOs, and other organizations for his whole life; notably the Infants’ Home of Brooklyn, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC), Childville, and the American Friends of the Israel Museum (AFIM).

The availability and specific details of the flower arrangement publication will follow shortly. Please watch this space.

At first, Ed used the ancient South American figurines as a display in his family’’s jewelry store, but eventually, sometime around the mid-1960′s, his interest in pre-Columbian works developed into The Merrin Gallery, a full-blown ancient art business! Edward’s passion and appreciation for the elegance of pre-Columbian art,” led to his status as a true connoisseur of art of this New World. In time, his business came to encompass the ancient art of the Old World – ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, as well as the Near East and Europe.

In the present day, there is scarcely a major museum in the US that has not acquired works at the Merrin Gallery (as well as many throughout the world). Private collectors in these fields, as well, have been nurtured. The personal connection between an art dealer and client is a special one. Responding to a client’’s interests and passions, the dealer is called upon to find the perfect object to become a part of the client’’s life. This exploration often occurred over a long period of time, as the collector was exposed to a myriad of choices, and came to trust Ed Merrin’’s taste and expertise.

Tufts University (Medford, Mass.) has received a pledge of $30-million from Edward H. Merrin, founder of the Merrin Gallery, an antiquities gallery in New York, and his wife, Vivian, for financial aid. Mr. Merrin graduated from the university in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and is a former trustee. The couple’s three sons also graduated from Tufts. Before this gift, they donated nearly $9-million to the university.

The philanthropy blog also featured him in another article, though perhaps the best discussion of Edward and his gift to Tufts comes from The Tufts Daily (the independent student newspaper of Tufts University):

[Edward] Merrin’s gift is part an estate-related plan that will come from his will, making up 20 percent of his estate. It will fund the Merrin-Bacow Scholarship, in honor of University President Lawrence Bacow.

“Larry will be our partner; it’s really being done in his honor because I’ve had such admiration for him,” Merrin told the Daily.

Bacow expressed his appreciation for the Merrins’ gift, noting that it would support a cause that is especially close to his heart.

“I am moved beyond words that Ed and Vivian would make such a gift in my honor,” Bacow said in an e-mail to the Daily. “That they would do so to support financial aid — my highest priority as president — only makes it that much more meaningful. Countless future students will have the opportunity to study at Tufts because of the Merrins’ generosity. They are the best.”

Merrin explained that the desire to make a meaningful difference motivated the couple’s decision to make this commitment to the university.

“Here is the possibility we have of changing the world,” Merrin said. “Imagine having a child be the first in his family to go to university. It means it impacts not only him, but his children, his children’s children, and in that way change the world. That appealed to us … This will put a substantial amount of money in the endowment, and that would be able to pay for a considerable number of students.”

Merrin added that he and his wife decided that the time was appropriate to make this donation because of rather than in spite of the difficult economic climate.

“When the recession started, my wife said to me, ‘Now that money is tough to get, now is when we ought to step up to the plate,’” he said. “I agree with her, and we had the money, and now was the time. When things are good … it makes it very easy to give. Now it’s tougher to give and we thought this is what we ought to do.”

This $30 million gift is only the most recent of the Merrins’ contributions to Tufts.

“He’s been a long-time supporter of Tufts, and he’s been very active in fundraising around his past reunion years,” Director of Advancement Communications and Donor Relations Christine Sanni said.

Merrin has been involved in all four of Tufts’ previous capital campaigns, beginning in 1979. The Merrins in conjunction with Edward’s 55th reunion gave $3 million to endow the Seth Merrin Chair in the Humanities in the School of Arts and Sciences (A&S), currently held by Professor of Philosophy Ray Jackendoff, a noted linguist and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies. They have given a total of nearly $9 million to Tufts over the years.

Beyond his financial contributions, Merrin has also lent his efforts to support Tufts’ cause, serving as an overseer for the School of A&S and a member of the Board of Trustees.

Explaining his continued involvement with Tufts, Merrin — who credits the school for his personal and professional success — noted that Tufts has meant a lot to him.

“This is my 60th class reunion, I’ve been on the Board of [Trustees], I’m now a trustee emeritus, I’ve had three children who went to Tufts, I’ve had two grandchildren go to Tufts — it’s always meant an awful lot to me,” he said.

“Still my best friends are my best friends from college … I’ve kept very close with [University Professor Sol Gittleman], I’ve been close to all the presidents, it’s just part of my life really,” Merrin said. “It’s my 60 years reunion, so that’s 64 years involved with the university; that’s a long time.”

Sanni noted that this most recent contribution was hugely beneficial to the Beyond Boundaries campaign. “It’s a pretty significant gift, one of the most significant of the campaign,” she said.

Merrin is the founder of The Merrin Gallery, Fifth Avenuery, New York.