Getty Museum

Pendant in the Form of a Bird

Date

725–700 B.C.

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Greek

Department

Jewelry

Institution

Getty Museum

Notches, incised lines, and a zig-zag pattern perhaps representing feathers decorate this round little duck-like bird. A small ring on the bird's back indicates that it was meant to be suspended. Similar examples with elaborate incised decoration are characteristic of types produced in Thessaly in northern Greece. Water birds were a popular motif in Greek Geometric art. Small bronze statuettes of birds were a customary votive dedication in sanctuaries throughout Greece. Some examples, however, have been found in graves, suggesting they served a funereal as well as votive function. As many of these birds are pierced for suspension, they might originally have served as dress ornaments or pendants on necklaces. However, the precise function is unclear.

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