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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1992.256.122
Title
Fragmentary Toggle Pin with Globular Head
Classification
Jewelry
Work Type
pin
Date
9th-7th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Luristan (Iran)
Period
Iron Age
Culture
Iranian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304532

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
4.6 x 0.9 cm (1 13/16 x 3/8 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 86.96; Sn, 11.36; Pb, 1.33; Zn, 0.005; Fe, 0.16; Ni, less than 0.005; Ag, 0.01; Sb, less than 0.02; As, 0.17; 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 dark green with spots of underlying red. Areas of the surface corrosion have been lost. Most of the surface is well preserved.

There are no hammer marks or cold-working marks, and it is likely the pin was cast from a model formed directly in wax. The hole is oval with rounded edges, and there is no evidence of drilling. It may have been formed in the wax model.


Henry Lie (submitted 2012)

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
1992.256.122
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
The strongly tapering pin has a spherical head. Its round shaft is flattened and pierced by a circular hole about 1 cm below the sphere. The tip of the pin is missing. It is difficult to attribute this plain object to a specific region and historical period. Pins pierced in this manner were common in northwestern Iran, and similar spherical heads occur on pins excavated at the sanctuary site of Surkh Dum in Luristan, although these tend to carry moldings on the shaft below.

Susanne Ebbinghaus

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