Harvard Art Museums

Bull Standard

Date: 25th-24th century BCE
Medium: Arsenical copper
Culture: Near Eastern
Department: Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics
Institution: Harvard Art Museums
Object ID: 5310

From the Harvard Art Museums record

This thin bull stands with its feet pressed together on top of a small base. The animal has a long, thin torso; its upper fore- and hindlimbs are comparatively muscular. There is a raised ridge, indicating the spine, that runs from the neck, down the back, to the slight nub of a tail. The neck curves markedly to the left, while the body leans to the right. The head is simple, with little detail visible; bulges for the eyes and ears are apparent. The elongated muzzle flares at the end, and there is a semi-circular incision to indicate the opening of the mouth. It has two, long curving horns, now bent to cross each other.

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Provenance & credit

As published by the source institution. Coverage varies — not every institution's open-data feed includes ownership history.

Provenance: Formerly in the possession of Richard R. Wagner, west Barnstable, Massachusetts, who sold it to Selim Dere of Fortuna Galleries, New York. Selim Dere sold it Dr. Mildenberg. Wagner did most of his collecting in the 1960s.