2022.245: Goat Finial

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2022.245

Title

Goat Finial

Classification

Sculpture

Work Type

sculpture, statuette

Date

9th century BCE

Places

Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Luristan (Iran)

Period

Iron Age

Culture

Iranian

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/369983

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Bronze

Technique

Cast, lost-wax process

Dimensions

9.3 × 4.8 × 1.5 cm (3 11/16 × 1 7/8 × 9/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

[Charles D. Kelekian, New York (by 1952-1982)], by descent; to [Kelekian Associates, New York (1982-1992)], by descent; to Nanette Rodney Kelekian, New York (1992-2021), bequest; to the Harvard Art Museums.

NOTE:
"Kelekian Associates" was formed at the death of Charles D. Kelekian by Nanette Rodney Kelekian and her mother Beatrice Kelekian. Upon Beatrice Kelekian’s death in 1992, ownership passed to Nanette Rodney Kelekian.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

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

Accession Year

2022

Object Number

2022.245

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

Representations of rampant, confronted goats or ibexes are frequent among the so-called finials from Iron Age Luristan in western Iran. The function of the objects of which these finials formed part remains enigmatic, but likely was largely symbolic. A vertical support would have been inserted through the two rings that join the animal’s front and back legs (here, the diameter of the opening at the base is 0.8 cm). It has been suggested that this could have been a small branch, creating the overall image of animals flanking a tree so common in the art of the ancient Middle East.

The goats have relatively short horns with a single protuberance each, long pointed ears, large eyes, beards, and stubby tails. Their slender bodies are barely articulated, and their hind legs are not separated. It has been proposed that these simplified but fairly naturalistically rendered animals are of an earlier date than the highly stylized creatures of finals such as 1931.5. The smooth, rounded forms suggest that the different elements of the finial were modeled in wax, joined, and then invested in a clay mold and cast in bronze. The patina is dark brown with patches of darker and lighter green and a few spots of red corrosion underneath; light brown accretions cover part of the surface.

Verification Level