Lot 49
Ancient Near East, northwestern Iran, Luristan, ca. 8th to 7th century BCE. A spectacular bronze pin head in the flattened, openwork form of "master of animals" featuring a central, anthropomorphic figure flanked by a pair of zoomorphs with elongated necks and curved horns. The figure at the center raises both arms, displaying a huge head with bulging eyes, a slender nose, and a beard, all surmounted by a petite pair of horns. He bends his slender arms at the elbows, raising his hands to touch circular ears or adornments on each side of his head. The animals bend inward, each tapered snout touching the central figure's head as though biting at him. The bottom has the centrally located shank for the pin that this final attached to. This intricate piece perhaps pinned the cloak or clothing of a wealthy or elite during ceremony, however the full symbolism of the stunning motif is unknown. Size: 2.6" W x 2.4" H (6.6 cm x 6.1 cm); 3.5" H (8.9 cm) on included custom stand.
Luristan is a province in central western Iran. It comprises an area of plains surrounded by the high ranges of the Zagros mountains and has supported a population of nomadic peoples and mountain communities for thousands of years. Bronze working in this region is known from as early as 3000 BC, but it is during the ninth to seventh centuries, from which period the present piece dates, that it reached the pinnacle of its craftsmanship in this medium. Luristan was set apart from its neighboring regions by the prolific appearance of elaborately decorated cast ornaments, including standard finials, horse trappings and pins, usually incorporating stylized animal and anthropomorphic motifs. The bronze workers of Luristan excelled particularly in producing decoration for horses, at a time when cavalry was eclipsing chariotry as the main mobile force in many Near Eastern armies. The relatively sudden emergence of this new artistic style is generally considered to have been initiated by a group of newcomers to the area, probably a nomadic people; their dependency on movement for their way of life meant that many forms of material wealth presented a conceptual and physical impediment. For this reason, expressions of status, conveyed by artistic virtuosity, are contained in portable objects of personal adornment or military utility.
Exhibited in Ball State University Art Museum, Muncie, Indiana, USA from 1995 to 2005 and George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia from 2005 to 2007.
Provenance: private J.F. collection, Loveland, Ohio, USA, acquired in 1987; ex-Royal-Athena, New York, New York, USA; ex-Thierry Collection, Paris, France
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#156552
- Condition: Restoration to both ibex horns and one horn on figure, with nearly invisible resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Light encrustations, slight bending to overall form, and softening to some finer details. Great patina and light earthen deposits throughout.
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