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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1920.44.223
Title
Three-Pronged Scoop
Classification
Unidentified
Work Type
unidentified item
Date
n.d.
Culture
Unidentified culture
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/303787

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
7.8 x 4.1 x 2.5 cm (3 1/16 x 1 5/8 x 1 in.)
Technical Details

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

XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Leaded Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin, lead
Other Elements: iron, antimony

K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The patina is green with areas of dark green, which may be related to an old artificial coating. There is no red cuprite present, and an area of worn green reveals bright metal. The evidence for long-term burial is not clear. The surface is rough, but this is due to the casting rather than the corrosion layer. There is no evidence that this scoop was part of a larger object or that there are any losses. The object was cast from a model made directly in wax.


Henry Lie (submitted 2012)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Miss Elizabeth Gaskell Norton, Boston, MA and Miss Margaret Norton, Cambridge, MA (by 1920), gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1920.

Note: The Misses Norton were daughters of Charles Elliot Norton (1827-1908).

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Misses Norton
Accession Year
1920
Object Number
1920.44.223
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
This thick-walled scoop-shaped object is oblong and has three blunt triangular prongs at one end. The object does not form a complete hemispheroid, and the sides of the object form a point in profile—from the approximate midpoint toward the prongs, the sides are cut into a slight curve. From the midpoint to the back of the object, the object is cut away at a steep angle. The surfaces of the exterior and interior are rough and slightly striated.

The purpose of this object is not clear. Although it resembles a scoop, it would not have been possible to use it without a handle, and there is no indication that it ever had an attached handle. It is most likely not an ancient object.

Lisa M. Anderson

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

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