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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1992.256.60
Title
Standing Male Figure
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
statuette, sculpture
Date
14th-13th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Anatolia
Period
Hittite Empire period
Culture
Syro-Hittite
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/310294

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Copper
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
6.9 x 3 cm (2 11/16 x 1 3/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Copper:
Cu, 97.22; Sn, 1.37; Pb, 0.51; Zn, 0.001; Fe, 0.03; Ni, 0.03; Ag, 0.02; Sb, less than 0.02; As, 0.82; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.005; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Technical Observations: This statuette is a solid cast. It seems to be intact, but there are some modern scratches on the surface from rough cleaning. The patina includes a rough brown crust over green and black corrosion.


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
1992.256.60
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 vertical statuette is shown either sitting or standing upon a cylindrical base that must have been the casting vent for its manufacture. Two small stubs representing the legs or feet project diagonally forward. The body is featureless. Two arms curl forward horizontally from the shoulders with the left one being more outstretched than the right. The head is a misshapen mass with an irregular downward-pointing feature that may represent a beard; two pellet-shaped eyes project from the front of the head, and two oval projections at the sides represent ears. A short, rod-like form ending in a curving tip surmounts the head.
This figure, possibly miscast, represents another variation in the standard repertoire of Late Bronze Age Syro-Hittite votive statuettes. Most likely, it represents a male deity.

David G. Mitten

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