1949.46: Trefoil Lipped Oinochoe with Raised Ribbon Handle Terminating in a Siren
VesselsIdentification and Creation
- Object Number
- 1949.46
- Title
- Trefoil Lipped Oinochoe with Raised Ribbon Handle Terminating in a Siren
- Classification
- Vessels
- Work Type
- vessel
- Date
- n.d.
- Places
- Creation Place: Unidentified Region
- Period
- Modern
- Culture
- Unidentified culture
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/311069
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Mixed copper alloy
- Technique
- Cast, lost-wax process
- Dimensions
- 19.8 cm (7 13/16 in.)
- Technical Details
-
Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Mixed Copper Alloy:
Cu, 84.47; Sn, 5.33; Pb, 2.03; Zn, 7.55; Fe, 0.15; Ni, 0.09; Ag, 0.03; Sb, 0.15; As, 0.19; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.005; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. RiedererTechnical Observations: There is no evidence of deep-seated corrosion. Green and some blue corrosion products have grown on the metal surface with no pitting of the metal and minimal evidence of a red cuprite under-layer. There are root-like impressions in the corrosion products (which neither prove nor disprove antiquity). The surface is well preserved under the green layer.
The handle and vessel were cast separately and joined using lead. The 1-mm thick plate of metal forming the bottom of the vessel is also attached with lead; the vessel was cast with no bottom. The walls are very thick in all areas (3 to 4 mm in most areas and up to 7 mm at the rim). Crude file marks on the mouth and on the lead joins are the result of finishing the surface after casting. The relief detail in the handle’s attachment plate appears to have been cast.
Henry Lie (submitted 2002)
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Anonymous Gift
- Accession Year
- 1949
- Object Number
- 1949.46
- 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 thick-walled vessel has a high, curving S-shaped handle with an attachment plate in the form of a frontal siren. Wings with raised internal lines curl up like volutes on either side of the siren’s head; her animal forelegs perch on a palmette. The edges and midrib of the handle are decorated with a plain raised band. The body of the vessel has an apple shape, with a gently sloping shoulder. The cylindrical neck rises straight from the shoulder into the trefoil mouth. The vessel ends in a ring foot.
The antiquity of this oinochoe is in doubt. It is heavy and would not have been practical for use in pouring liquids. It would also be unusual for a vessel of this type to have been cast rather than hammered, and the vessel walls are much thicker than excavated examples (1).
NOTES:
1. The body of this vessel can be compared with examples from Pompeii, but the neck is rather elongated and the handle is not of the same type; see S. Tassinari, Il vasellame bronzo di Pompei, Ministero per i beni culturali ed ambientali, Soprintendenza archeologica di Pompei 5 (Rome, 1993) types D2111.a-c and 2112, no. 10285, pl.65. Compare also C. Tarditi, Vasi di bronzo in area Apula: Produzioni greche ed italiche di età arcaica e classica, Università di Lecce Dipartimento di Beni Culturali Settore Storico-Archeologico Collina 8 (Lecce, 1996) 160-61, figs. 32-33, from two tombs in Lavello dated c. 450-350 BCE.
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