Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Point 1 (neck): Cu, 86.2; Sn, 13.36; Pb, 0.17; Zn, 0.005; Fe, 0.05; Ni, 0.03; Ag, 0.03; Sb, less than 0.05; As, 0.13; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.023; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
Point 2 (chest): Cu, 91.27; Sn, 8.27; Pb, 0.12; Zn, 0.14; Fe, 0.03; Ni, 0.03; Ag, 0.02; Sb, less than 0.05; As, 0.13; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.01; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer
Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, zinc, iron, nickel, silver, antimony, arsenic
K. Eremin, January 2014
Technical Observations: The patina is grayish green and features areas of bright green and red. Cloudy white areas may be the result of the application of wax or other restoration work. Several vertical elements are broken and repaired with resins. The central 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).
All of the “Master of Animals” finials are heavier and have thicker walls than the finials that depict only animals. The thickness of this finial’s walls varies from 2 to 4 mm. The incised decorations on the surface appear similar to those of the other “Master of Animals” finials, and it is likely that cold working was also used on this one, although the surface condition makes this difficult to determine.
Henry Lie (submitted 2012)
