Animal-shaped vessel

Object Details

• Description

  Vessel in the form of a bull, with a bulbous body, short stubby legs, a tubular opening in the center of the back connected to a short handle, and twin openings in the two front legs, allowing liquid to pour from two perforations. Modern restoration of the edges of the handle and spout, the horn tips, and rejoining of the head and neck to the body.

• Label

  Animal-shaped vessels, often provided with a pouring spout, are among the most characteristic and long-lived creations of ancient Iranian artisans. With their lustrous gray or copper-colored surfaces, they were probably made to imitate metal vessels.

• Collection

  Arthur M. Sackler Collection

• Exhibition History

  Metalwork and Ceramics from Ancient Iran (November 19, 1992 to January 22, 2004)

  Nomads and Nobility: Art from the Ancient Near East (September 28, 1987 to November 1, 1992)

• Origin

  Northwest Iran

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Vessel

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 0s, 200s

• Topic

  Parthian period (247 BCE - 224 CE), Art, Ancient Near Eastern Art, Bulls, Ceramics

• Culture

  Iranians, Middle Easterners

• Object Type

  Vessels (containers)