1995.39: Head of a Lynx with Open Mouth
SculptureIdentification and Creation
- Object Number
- 1995.39
- Title
- Head of a Lynx with Open Mouth
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Work Type
- sculpture
- Date
- 1st-3rd century
- Places
- Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia
- Period
- Roman Imperial period
- Culture
- Roman
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/302057
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Leaded bronze
- Technique
- Cast, lost-wax process
- Dimensions
- 3.7 x 4.3 x 4.2 cm (1 7/16 x 1 11/16 x 1 5/8 in.)
- Technical Details
-
Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Leaded Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin, lead
Other Elements: iron, antimony
K. Eremin, January 2014Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Leaded Bronze:
Cu, 90.05; Sn, 6.82; Pb, 2.66; Zn, 0.005; Fe, 0.14; Ni, 0.05; Ag, 0.04; Sb, 0.22; As, less than 0.10; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.01; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. RiedererTechnical Observations: The patina is reddish brown. The object is a hollow cast, and remnants of core material are present. Most of the fine incised lines depicting fur appear to have been made in the wax model. There are long striations between the high relief hair on the top of the head. A punch was used on the cast metal inside the ears and at the back of the neck. There are also cold-working marks inside the mouth. The uneven finishing of the eye sockets suggests they originally held inlays that have not survived.
Tracy Richardson (submitted 1999)
Provenance
- Recorded Ownership History
- Charles Dikran Kelekian, New York, NY, (by 1982), by inheritance; to Nancy Rodney Kelekian, New York, NY, (1982-1995), gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1995.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Nanette B. Rodney
- Accession Year
- 1995
- Object Number
- 1995.39
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Publication History
- Henry Lie and Francesca Bewer, "Ex Aere Factum: Technical Notes on Ancient Bronzes", Ancient Bronzes through a Modern Lens: Introductory Essays on the Study of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes, ed. Susanne Ebbinghaus, Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2014), 38-63, pp. 55-56, fig. 2.12.
- Susanne Ebbinghaus, ed., Ancient Bronzes through a Modern Lens: Introductory Essays on the Study of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes, Harvard Art Museum and Yale University Press (Cambridge, MA, 2014), pp. 56, 66, fig. 2.12
Exhibition History
- 32Q: 3440 Middle East, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 11/16/2016
Subjects and Contexts
- Ancient Bronzes
- Google Art Project
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