2022.244: Figure of a Lion

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2022.244

Title

Figure of a Lion

Classification

Sculpture

Work Type

statuette, sculpture

Date

850-650 BCE

Period

Iron Age

Culture

Neo-Hittite ?

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/369982

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Basalt

Dimensions

2.8 × 2.2 × 5 cm (1 1/8 × 7/8 × 1 15/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

[Oscar Meyer Antiquities, Los Angeles (by 1970)], purchase; by Nanette B. Kelekian, New York (1970-2021), bequest; to the Harvard Art Museums.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Nanette B. Kelekian

Accession Year

2022

Object Number

2022.244

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

This small lion carved of black basalt is missing the lower parts of its legs and its lower jaw. It is roughly worked underneath, where it was drilled lengthwise to separate its legs; the drill hole (diameter 0.6 cm) continues into the snout. A drill was also used to create an opening between front paws and snout. The loss of the tips of all four legs, the shape of the remaining front legs, the use of a drill to create the legs, and the somewhat underdeveloped hindquarters of the lion all suggest that the animal was an attachment to a larger object. Most likely, it sat on the exterior of a bowl or other vessel and peeked over its rim.

Verification Level