1920.44.283: Deity's Beard
SculptureIdentification and Creation
- Object Number
- 1920.44.283
- Title
- Deity's Beard
- Other Titles
- Alternate Title: Dietys Beard and Stand
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Work Type
- fragment
- Date
- mid 7th-late 1st century BCE
- Places
- Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Egypt (Ancient)
- Period
- Late Period to Ptolemaic
- Culture
- Egyptian
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/304040
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Leaded bronze
- Technique
- Cast, lost-wax process
- Dimensions
- 9.6 x 3.2 cm (3 3/4 x 1 1/4 in.)
- Technical Details
-
Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Leaded Bronze:
Cu, 81.61; Sn, 4.31; Pb, 13.35; Zn, 0.01; Fe, 0.01; Ni, 0.12; Ag, 0.12; Sb, 0.1; As, 0.24; Bi, 0.091; Co, 0.043; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. RiedererTechnical Observations: The patina is a dark greenish brown. The front surface has been coated with a shiny, wax-like substance. The piece is structurally sound, although pitted with porosity that breaks through to the surface. The surface has been stripped, removing much of the corrosion products and resulting in the loss of some of the original surface detail. Some corrosion and dark gray, quartzy mold material remains adhere to several smaller areas on the back.
The hollow, open-backed beard was cast by the indirect lost-wax process in one piece, together with the large rectangular-sectioned tang that served to mount it to its deity’s chin. The tang, which may also have served as a sprue for casting, was added in the wax to the molded beard. The striated texture of the braided beard on the front was probably done in the wax and may have been enhanced in the metal. It is not clear how the striations on the inner surface were formed. Some of them are probably the result of cleaning.
Francesca G. Bewer (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
- 1920.44.283
- 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
The hollow-cast attachment has a rounded cross-section creating a concave back and providing a sculptural quality to the stylized rendition of a god’s beard. The individual strands of hair have raised profiles and are decorated with parallel incisions. The plaits narrow sharply into a tight, projecting curl at the bottom. A rectangular tang extends from the top for attachment.
This beard was meant to be attached to larger statues of anthropomorphic gods, all of whom are typically represented with one. The hair is shown plaited tightly to form a narrow, tapering beard, unlike those of kings, which flare at the bottom and lack the upturned curl seen here (1).
NOTES:
1. Compare a fragmentary deity’s beard at the Brooklyn Museum, inv. no. 16.241.
Marian Feldman
Subjects and Contexts
- Ancient Bronzes
Related Objects
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