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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1970.37
Title
Finial Support
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Finial for Shaft
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/281808

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
14.5 x 5 cm (5 11/16 x 1 15/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 90.45; Sn, 9.38; Pb, 0.07; Zn, 0.005; Fe, 0.07; Ni, 0.01; Ag, 0.02; Sb, less than 0.05; As, less than 0.10; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.01; Au, less than 0.02; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Chemical Composition: EMP analysis from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 90.89; Sn, 7.79; Pb, 0.03; Zn, 0.00; Fe, 0.08; Ni, 0.00; Ag, 0.01; Sb, 0.00; As, 0.00


T. Richardson, June 1999

Technical Observations: The patina of both finial supports (1959.27 and 1970.37) is green with spots of red with some blue in the interior. Brown burial accretions are also present. The surface is fairly well preserved, although there are some corrosion blisters and surface losses. A 2-cm longitudinal crack in the neck is stable. Some areas of the surface are well preserved, but most areas are obscured by raised corrosion products. There is a dense circular area in the body that is probably an ancient repair; this is visible with the naked eye inside the object. The core material is not visible in the x-radiograph.

The finial supports are both hollow and were cast using the indirect lost-wax process, where the wax model was cast in a mold. The decorative ribs on the base and neck are precise, and this detail may have been refined on either the wax model or the finished bronze. The narrow neck, which would have held the pin that secured the finial to the support (see 2005.78.A-C), could have made use of a slender cylindrical core to prevent it from filling with wax, or the neck of the wax model may have been drilled out or otherwise cleaned after the wax model was cast. The facial features on 1959.27 are soft in shape and show no clear evidence of cold working.


Henry Lie and Tracy Richardson (submitted 1999, updated)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Museum Collection
Accession Year
1970
Object Number
1970.37
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This bulbous finial support is rather plain. It is widest where the body connects to the cylindrical neck, and it tapers toward the open bottom, which is ringed by three raised bands; the lowest band is the thickest. Where the body joins the neck, there is a molded ring with two raised bands. The neck is uniformly cylindrical, with an opening at the top for the insertion of a pin from a finial. The hole does not completely traverse the body. The top is a flattened, plain circle.

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

Exhibition History

  • The Art of Luristan, Plymouth State College, Plymouth, 10/04/1970 - 10/29/1970; Chapel Arts Center, Manchester, 11/08/1970 - 12/22/1970

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Related Works

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