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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1920.44.159
Title
Lion Head Finial
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Panther head lion's head
Classification
Furniture
Work Type
attachment
Date
n.d.
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World
Culture
Unidentified culture
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/303889

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
5.6 x 3.6 cm (2 3/16 x 1 7/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 89.55; Sn, 9.91; Pb, 0.23; Zn, 0.025; Fe, 0.19; Ni, 0.03; Ag, 0.02; Sb, 0.04; As, less than 0.10; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.015; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001

J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The patina is green over a very thick layer of red. The finial is deeply mineralized. Corrosion products obscure the details of the relief decoration.

The finial appears to have been intended to be a hollow cast. However, the head of the finial is solid, probably as a result of excess wax solidifying in the mold in which it was cast. The walls at the opening of the socket are very thick (c. 4 mm). A 3-mm copper alloy pin passes vertically through the neck and would have been used to secure the head to a pole made of wood or some other material. The details of the lion’s face are too obscured to determine if there was any direct work done in the wax or on the metal.


Henry Lie (submitted 2002)

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
1920.44.159
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
The end of this cylindrical socket is shaped like the head of a feline. The features of the lion are obscured by corrosion, but round ears, eyes, and muzzle are visible. The back of the head connects seamlessly to the cylinder; there is a slight shelf effect on the front, mimicking the breast of a lion. The cylinder narrows to a molded ring at the bottom. The interior is hollow to a depth of about 1.7 cm. A pin, perhaps for attaching the cylinder to the end of a pole or post, is still present; the ends are visible on the exterior front and back, although they have been hammered flat. There are some other accretions in the interior around the pin.

The lion cylinder would perhaps have been a finial on a pole or a decorative fitting for a piece of furniture.

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