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
1969.177.33
Title
Pin Head
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Animal, pin head
Classification
Jewelry
Work Type
pin
Date
late 8th-early 7th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Iran
Period
Iron Age
Culture
Iranian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304189

Physical Descriptions

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

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Copper
Alloying Elements: copper
Other Elements: lead, iron, arsenic
K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The patina features raised black corrosion products on top of a layer of red corrosion. The black may have been a layer of green that has been changed color due to exposure to hydrogen sulfide after excavation. The bottom edge is irregular and may be a break. A 1-mm hole in the bottom is modern.

The object is a solid cast from a wax model probably formed directly in the wax.


Henry Lie (submitted 2012)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Harry J. Denberg, New York, NY (by 1969), gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1969.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Harry J. Denberg
Accession Year
1969
Object Number
1969.177.33
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

Description
The top of this pin is in the shape of a standing quadruped. The animal stands with forelegs joined and bent back to the top of the pin, hindlegs joined and bent forward, and all the legs connected in the area where the hooves or paws would be. There is an oblong opening between the fore- and hindlegs. The animal is very simple and stylized with few details. It has a small triangular head and snout. It has short backward-curving ears or horns. The torso is narrow and cylindrical (appearing slightly arched up), and it has an upward-curving tail. The circular-sectioned pin shaft is broken after 1.2 cm.

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