Cleveland Museum of Art

Master of Animals Cheekpiece

Date

c. 700 BCE

Medium

bronze, cast and incised

Culture

Iran, Luristan

Department

Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

In this cast bronze cheekpiece, a horned male figure with sidelocks grabs two winged felines by their forelegs. Each feline tramples a rabbit beneath its feet. This design is an ancient Near Eastern motif known as the Master of Animals. Incised chevrons, lines, and crosses decorate the master and the winged felines. A ring penetrating the male figure’s torso provides a means of attachment for a metal horse bit, now missing, and a second cheekpiece, likely nearly identical. This work likely originates from Luristan, a region in northwestern Iran known for its metalworking and horse-breeding in the Iron Age. The Master of Animals may represent a god of nature or the hunt.

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