Chemical Composition: XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Leaded Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin, lead
Other Elements: iron
K. Eremin, January 2014
Technical Observations: The patina is a mottled dark brown and cupritic red with light green specks. The surface has been smoothed by cleaning, which has cut through the corrosion. Some tan burial or investment material is stuck on the inner surface and in recesses. The tip of the eagle’s beak is missing.
The object was cast in one piece by the lost-wax process. The eagle is solid, while the mountain is hollow and of fairly uniform thickness except at the top, where the interior shape is more simplified and does not reflect the two smaller peaks on the exterior. This object was probably a direct cast, although some of the bumps on the inner surface look soft and waxy, which would suggest an indirect technique. The decorative texturing was produced mainly in the metal with pointed and flat punches. The four indentations on the bottom rim are located symmetrically, which suggests that they are intentional, although two of them seem to have been augmented by casting flaws or corrosion.
Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2011)
