Garment pin

Pin with plain shank. Three bands of raised molding decorated with incised lines encircle the upper shank below the head. The head is cast as a flat plaque, both surfaces rendered as a lion-mask (?); ears, eyes, and nose are modeled in low relief articulated by incised lines. Whiskers incised.

Historical period(s)
Iron Age I - III, ca. 900-600 BCE
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H x W x D: 19.8 x 2.1 x 0.7 cm (7 13/16 x 13/16 x 1/4 in)
Geography
Iran
Credit Line
Gift of The Duncan M. Whittome Revocable Trust in memory of Ambassador and Mrs. James S. Moose, Jr.
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1995.108
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jewelry and Ornament, Metalwork
Type

Jewelry

Keywords
animal, Iran, Iron Age I (ca. 1450 - 1250 BCE), Iron Age III (ca. 800 - 500 BCE)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Pin with plain shank. Three bands of raised molding decorated with incised lines encircle the upper shank below the head. The head is cast as a flat plaque, both surfaces rendered as a lion-mask (?); ears, eyes, and nose are modeled in low relief articulated by incised lines. Whiskers incised.

Label

Bronze pins with decorated heads were popular personal ornaments in the ancient Near East, used by both men and women to fasten their garments.  Many pins of this type, often decorated with animal figures, have been recovered from cemeteries in western Iran dating from the second and early first millennia B.C.E.

Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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