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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1969.177.40
Title
Pendant
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Four-Bladed Weapon four-bladed weapon
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
n.d.
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World
Culture
Near Eastern
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304298

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
5.2 x 5.9 cm (2 1/16 x 2 5/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 91.16; Sn, 8.18; Pb, 0.13; Zn, 0.005; Fe, 0.31; Ni, 0.03; Ag, 0.16; Sb, 0.03; 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 green with areas of black and red. One of the blades has a 1-cm loss. The flow of metal during casting of this blade may have been sequential, resulting in a crack where two sections did not coalesce, and the edge was later lost. An adjacent blade was deformed by an impact to its edge, which caused most of the green corrosion to fall off and reveal underlying red surfaces. This blade also has many fine cracks, which probably indicate brittleness from long-term burial.

Except for the hole through the middle axis, the pendant is a solid cast. This hole is not drilled and appears to be part of the casting. A 4-mm casting flaw near the blades creates an opening to the interior of the shaft. A second 7-mm flaw further up the shaft reveals the remains of a mineralized lead repair. The object is consistent with lost-wax casting, and its wax model may have been made directly rather than cast in a mold. The faces and edges of the blades show coarse abrasive marks from cold work after casting.


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
1969.177.40
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
This object consists of a thin, hollow cylinder, pierced at the top and bottom, with four flaring blades on the top. The bottom of the cylinder flares out slightly but is otherwise undecorated. The flaring blades are widely spaced and rounded on their outermost edges.

It is not clear whether this was a pendant; it also resembles a modern propeller.

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