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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1992.256.36
Title
Bull
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
statuette, sculpture
Date
10th-8th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World
Period
Iron Age
Culture
Neo-Hittite
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304176

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
3.5 x 1.8 cm (1 3/8 x 11/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Leaded Bronze:
Cu, 81.81; Sn, 6.46; Pb, 11.39; Zn, 0.007; Fe, 0.02; Ni, 0.02; Ag, 0.06; Sb, 0.04; As, 0.19; 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 porous black and metallic surface. It has unusual reddish-orange deposits in low areas, which seem to have been applied. The proper left horn is missing. The bull is a porous casting with bare metal evident. There is very little about this bull that appears ancient.


Carol Snow (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Louise M. and George E. Bates, Camden, ME (by 1971-1992), gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums, 1992.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Louise M. and George E. Bates
Accession Year
1992
Object Number
1992.256.36
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This crudely made animal may be a bull that is missing one horn; the extant horn curves outward and upward from the proper right side of its head. It has flat ears covering the sides of its face. Its eyes are raised circles on the front of the head, and there is a simple dome-shaped muzzle with a central line indicating the mouth. The legs are rough and irregularly shaped. The body tapers toward the midsection and then expands out, with a large hump at the rump. The downward-pointing tail is long and almost as thick as the legs.

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