Add to Collection

Add this item to an existing or new collection.
Harvard Art Museums
Incorrect Username, Email, or Password
This object does not yet have a description.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1977.216.3409
Title
Crouching Lion
Other Titles
Former Title: Small Figure of a Seated Lion
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
statuette, sculpture
Date
n.d.
Places
Creation Place: Unidentified Region
Period
Modern
Culture
Unidentified culture
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304144

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded brass
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
2.6 x 1.6 x 4.5 cm (1 x 5/8 x 1 3/4 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Leaded Brass:
Cu, 80.94; Sn, 0.94; Pb, 4.12; Zn, 13.36; Fe, 0.34; Ni, 0.18; Ag, 0.05; Sb, 0.07; As, less than 0.10; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.005; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The patina is a thin layer of brown oxide. There is no evidence of long-term burial, and the object is probably not ancient. The front and back paws on the left side are both partially missing. The surface is in good condition. The lion is a solid cast. A mold could have been used to cast the general shape of the wax model, but the details were worked directly in the wax. Files and punches were crudely used to sharpen the surface decorations in the metal.


Henry Lie

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Department of the Classics, Harvard University
Accession Year
1977
Object Number
1977.216.3409
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
This crouching lion faces forward, with his head tilted upward and slightly to the right. The lion’s mane is rendered in long, snaky locks around his head and upper torso. The details of the head are not crisp, but the ears, eyes, snout, and mouth are all modeled. The lion crouches with his back limbs lowered, his tail threading under his left leg and then rising to go partially over his back. There is some roughness on the underside.

If this item is indeed ancient, it would most likely have been used as an appliqué on a piece of furniture (1).

NOTES:

1. Compare the lions decorating the lower part of a rod tripod from Trebenishte; see C. M. Stibbe, The Sons of Hephaistos (Rome, 2000) 78-88, figs. 49 and 54. Compare also a copper alloy recumbent lion in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, inv. no. Sa 43 Br.

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