Luristan Bronze statuet af en tyr - 5.2 cm

Ancient Luristan Bronze Statuette of a Bull

Culture / Period: Luristan
Date / Period: 1800–1600 B.C.
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: 52 mm x 40 mm
Condition: Good condition

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Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 723

The current owner purchased the Luristan Bronze Statuette of a Bull from an auction house in Schiedam, the Netherlands.

The previous owner, a private collector, N.N. from the Netherlands, stated that the object had been in his collection since the 1990s.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1990s.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This bronze statuette depicts a stylized bull, one of the most enduring and significant animal representations produced by the bronze-working cultures of ancient Luristan. Dating to approximately 1800–1600 B.C., such figures reflect the sophisticated artistic traditions that flourished during the Middle Bronze Age.

The bull occupied a central place in the religious and symbolic world of the peoples of Luristan. It represented strength, fertility, prosperity, and protective power, and was closely associated with livestock, which formed the economic foundation of daily life. Small bronze animal figures such as this were likely used as personal votive objects, ritual offerings, or decorative attachments for ceremonial equipment.

Luristan bronzes are renowned for their distinctive craftsmanship and highly stylized forms. Skilled bronze casters produced a wide variety of weapons, horse trappings, standards, finials, and animal figures using advanced casting techniques. Their characteristic artistic style, combining simplified anatomy with expressive features, makes these bronzes immediately recognizable and highly important within the archaeology of the ancient Near East.

Objects of this type were produced within an organized metalworking tradition and circulated through regional exchange networks connecting the Iranian plateau with neighboring cultures of Mesopotamia and beyond. They illustrate the remarkable level of craftsmanship achieved by Luristan artisans during the Bronze Age.

This statuette provides a direct and tangible connection to the ancient peoples of Luristan, for whom the bull was both an essential element of everyday life and a powerful symbol of prosperity, protection, and religious belief.