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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2023.501.29
Title
Straight Pin with Disc Head (Two-Headed Bull, Flan, Tree of Life)
Classification
Jewelry
Work Type
pin
Date
10th-8th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Luristan (Iran)
Find Spot: Middle East, Iran, Western Iran
Period
Iron Age
Culture
Iranian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/303898

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Repoussé
Dimensions
19.5 x 13.5 cm (7 11/16 x 5 5/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 92.57; Sn, 6.84; Pb, 0.06; Zn, 0.005; Fe, 0.15; Ni, 0.04; Ag, 0.02; Sb, 0.06; As, 0.24; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.017; 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, iron, nickel, silver, antimony, arsenic

K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The patina on the obverse is green with areas of brown and small spots of underlying red. The reverse is dark green with black, red, and brown accretions. The top and sides near the edge are lost. The metal is completely mineralized in some areas, which is convincing evidence of long-term burial. Flecks of bright metal on the corroded areas of the reverse appear to be redeposited copper, from either burial or a treatment.

The handle and disc were probably formed from a cast rod of bronze by cold working. The repoussé work was primarily created from the reverse, with the boundaries of relief elements refined from the obverse. Fine details on the obverse were punched and traced using pointed, elongated, and crescent-shaped tools. The black deposit in recesses on the reverse could be the residue of a backing material applied to support the object during the repoussé work.


Henry Lie

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Kurt H. Weil, Montclair, NJ (1927-1992), by descent; to Kathleen Weil-Garris Brandt, New York (1992-2023), gift; to the Harvard Art Museums.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Professor Kathleen Weil-Garris Brandt
Accession Year
2023
Object Number
2023.501.29
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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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