With all do respect to you and Robert who I know to be expert in many areas, female bronze figures dating to the Bronze age particularly in the Levant are published in the archaeological Literature and represented in Many Museums. Although often called Astarte figures it is not always clear which female diety is being represented, and sometimes because they are highly stylized it is unclear wether they are in fact male or female. They are also known as consort figures as they are frequently associated with the Male figures of similar type. For some more elaborate flat cast figures with similar facial features particularly the prominent Nose see Ora Negbi Canaanite Gods in Metal Plates 57-59
This particular figure falls into the class called peg shaped. The "peg" shape is well known in the Near East and I am afraid has nothing to do with cosmetic applicator's which also exist in the area from various periods although I can see how you might make the association if you are unfamiliar with the type. For a male example in the Louvre which is quite close in shape to Andrea's see the reference above Fig. 68 #1488.
Best Regards,
David A.J. Liebert
On Jun 13, 2008, at 5:12 PM, Jason Dahling wrote:
__._,_.___Andrea, I'm just chiming in to concur with Robert's assessment
regarding the bronze figure referenced in the subject line. I
indicated in the earlier idol thread have never seen a published
example of a metal, clearly Astarte-type figure, and I think that an
applicator finial is a strong possibility for this piece. However,
very recently I've seen a handful of metal Astartes presented at
auctions or shown to me by customers for the first time, none of which
seem to have a provenance. Buyer beware...
Jason
http://www.janusantiquities. com 
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