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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1931.5
Title
Finial with Two Confronted Ibex
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
9th-8th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Luristan (Iran)
Period
Iron Age
Culture
Iranian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/198885

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
15.4 x 10.2 x 1.5 cm (6 1/16 x 4 x 9/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 92.41; Sn, 6.66; Pb, 0.05; Zn, 0.003; Fe, 0.28; Ni, 0.04; Ag, 0.01; Sb, 0.07; As, 0.47; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.016; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001

J. Riederer

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, iron, arsenic

K. Eremin, January 2014

Chemical Composition: EMP analysis from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 92.11; Sn, 5.90; Pb, 0.03; Zn, 0.00; Fe, 0.24; Ni, 0.02; Ag, 0.01; Sb, 0.05; As, 0.01

T. Richardson, June 1999

Technical Observations: The patina is dark green with spots of red. Brown burial accretions are present. The central securing pin is lost.

As with the other Luristan finials, the irregular and fluid character of the design elements indicates direct work in the wax model. The wax would have been worked over a central cylindrical core, providing an open area for the tube or pin used to secure the finial to a support (see 2005.78.A-C). The condition of the surface makes it impossible to determine if details have been enhanced with cold working. The tails of the ibexes were made by twisting thin rods of wax. The animals on the backs of the ibexes were added separately to the wax models of the ibexes, as were the ibexes’ forelegs.


Henry Lie and Tracy Richardson (submitted 1999, updated 2012)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Private Collection, Boston, (by 1931), gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1931.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Anonymous Gift
Accession Year
1931
Object Number
1931.5
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
This finial is comprised of two rampant, confronted ibexes, joined at the forelimbs and hindlimbs around rings that would have once held the pin of the finial. The ibexes are very stylized and slender (the cast seems to be solid). On the back of each ibex is a smaller animal (both male), with simple rod-like limbs, curving body, a tail attached to the back, and cylindrical head; details on the head include flattened leaf-shaped ears, a slight indication of eyes, and slender tongues that touch the back ridge of the larger animals. The ibexes appear to stand on the lower ring, limbs curving up to join their cylindrical torsos. Their long, twisted tails connect to the ring as well. The bodies and necks form an S-shape. The forelimbs are rods that touch the ring and then bend down toward the midsections. A ridge of raised bumps follows the spine of the necks. The heads are long, with high pointed ears, raised dots for eyes, and cylindrical snouts. The lower jaws or tongues are rendered as double spirals. The long curving antlers have a series of raised bosses.

Publication History

  • Tracy Richardson, "A Technical Study of Luristan Bronzes From Ancient Iran" (thesis (certificate in conservation), Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, June 1999), Unpublished, pp. 1-15 passim

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

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Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu