Master-of-animals standard finial

Master-of-animals standard in the form of an anthropomorphic tube flanked by rampant leonine creatures; the figure has stylized arms which grasp the necks of the flanking creatures. There are two faces on the tube, one at the top and the other in the middle; double predatory heads on either side, with a cock’s head facing outward at the base of each neck. Both sides are identical. The tube has an opening at the upper end; in the lower end is inserted a hammered bronze tube.

Historical period(s)
Iron Age II - III, ca. 1000-650 BCE
Medium
Copper alloy; cast
Dimensions
H x W x D: 27.8 x 9.8 x 3 cm (10 15/16 x 3 7/8 x 1 3/16 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.79
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Metalwork
Type

Finial

Keywords
casting, Iran, Iron Age II (ca. 1250 - 800 BCE), Iron Age III (ca. 800 - 500 BCE), lion, WWII-era provenance
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Master-of-animals standard in the form of an anthropomorphic tube flanked by rampant leonine creatures; the figure has stylized arms which grasp the necks of the flanking creatures. There are two faces on the tube, one at the top and the other in the middle; double predatory heads on either side, with a cock's head facing outward at the base of each neck. Both sides are identical. The tube has an opening at the upper end; in the lower end is inserted a hammered bronze tube.

Label

An important industry in bronze and copper artifacts flourished in the region of Luristan, western Iran, between about 1400 and 600 B.C.E.  This object is one of the most typical Luristan bronzes: a finial, or ornamental pole top, which was originally mounted on a bottle-shaped support (see S1995.111).  The finials were often fashioned in the form of a demon flanked by panthers (or other leonine creatures).  As in this example, the flanking leonine creatures often terminate in predatory heads with a cock's head projecting from the neck.

Published References
  • et al. Asian Art in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Inaugural Gift. Washington, 1987. cat. 14, p. 41.
  • Oscar W. Muscarella. Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York. pp. 136-141.
  • P.R.S. Moorey. Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum. Oxford. pp. 153-60.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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