"Master of Animals" Finial and Stand

Harvard Art Museums

"Master of Animals" Finial and Stand

Date
8th century BCE
Medium
Bronze
Culture
Iranian
Department
Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics
Institution
Harvard Art Museums
Object ID
48595

From the Harvard Art Museums record

This bronze "Master of Animals" finial is mounted on a bottle-shaped support and held in place by a metal rod attached to the top of the support. A poppy-headed dress pin was inserted from above, further stabilizing the mount. The Master of Animals has bovine (or goat?) ears and a second face at the waist area. Rooster heads protrude from the flanks of the stylized lions. Depicting a demonic figure grappling with two felines, this finial is typical of the bronze utensils and ornaments of Iron Age Luristan (west Iran), which are adorned with stylized representations of animals and monsters.

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Provenance & credit

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Provenance
From the collection of David M. Tobey. The piece was a gift of Mr. Tobey's uncle, David Lilienthal, to Mr. Tobey's mother. Mr. Tobey believes that David Lilienthal, who was working on development projects in Iran, received the object as a gift from the late Shah of Iran.

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