Animal-shaped vessel

Object Details

• Description

  Vessel in the shape of a bull, with a bulbous body and narrow waist, tubular opening in the center of the back connected to a short handle, and a smaller opening on the chest for pouring. Modern restoration of all four legs, horns, and part of rim.

• 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 costlier 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)