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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1992.256.104
Title
Cart and Horses
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture, statuette
Date
2nd-early 1st Millennium BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia
Period
Bronze Age
Culture
Near Eastern
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304633

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
2.7 x 5.2 x 7.6 cm (1 1/16 x 2 1/16 x 3 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, iron
K. Eremin, January 2014

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 95.05; Sn, 2.47; Pb, 1.56; Zn, 0.086; Fe, 0.08; Ni, 0.04; Ag, 0.06; Sb, 0.21; As, 0.44; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.012; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The rough surface is covered by light- to dark-green corrosion products and gray earthen remains, perhaps burial accretions or the remains of mold material, as well as what may be chalky growths.

The cart and animals were very loosely modeled by pinching and rolling wax. They were cast by the direct lost-wax process. The remains of what appears to be a sprue is preserved on the rump of each animal, although one of these has a rusty patch at its center that could indicate it contained an iron wire, which would not make sense for a sprue. The surface is very rough, not only as the result of corrosion and burial accretions but also because of the many large metal flashes that are still attached to the various forms. The flashes were produced when liquefied metal flowed into cracks or other crevices in the casting mold. The group does not appear to have been cold worked much if at all.

During initial examination, the group appeared to have been cast in one pour already united via the yoke. However, the slightly resinous green accretions around the joins between the yoke and horses fluoresced orange under ultraviolet light, confirming that they are shellac-based repairs. Without more information on the alloy and condition of the metal of the yoke, it is difficult to say whether it is original to the piece and merely a modern repair of a fragile join, or if it is an entirely new element.


Francesca G. Bewer (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
1992.256.104
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 small group depicts two draft animals, perhaps horses, pulling a simple, two-wheeled vehicle. The animals (4.5 and 4.8 cm long, both c. 2.7 cm high) are highly stylized and consist of bean-shaped heads; pointed, triangular ears; long, cylindrical bodies; and rod-like legs and tails. On one animal, a rough sprue connects the back right leg to the torso. They are joined to each other by a U-shaped yoke. The tongue of the vehicle, a long cylindrical rod, rests on top of the yoke. The tongue connects perpendicularly to an axle to which the two wheels are attached. Each wheel has a prominent hemispherical boss on its exterior.

Model carts with draft animals have some variation: some have solid wheels like the Harvard example, while others have open spoked-wheels or more elaborate carts (1).

NOTES:

1. Compare the group in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, inv. no. 1970.510; A Glimpse into the Past: The Joseph Ternbach Collection, exh. cat., Israel Museum (Jerusalem, 1981) 85, no. 54; and H. Mahboubian, Art of Ancient Iran: Copper and Bronze (London, 1997) 118, no. 96.


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