Lorestan Bronze Steinbockfigur - 32 mm

Luristan Bronze Ibex Figure

Culture / Period: Luristan
Date / Period: 9th–7th century B.C.
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: 32 mm
Condition: Good condition

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Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 726
The current owner purchased this object from a reputable Dutch numismatic auction house in Schiedam, the Netherlands. Due to privacy regulations, the name of the previous owner could not be disclosed. No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This finely cast bronze figure represents an ibex, one of the most characteristic and frequently depicted animals in the artistic tradition of ancient Luristan. The ibex, recognised by its distinctive curved horns, symbolised strength, agility, vitality, and the natural world, and appears regularly in the metalwork of the Early Iron Age.

Luristan bronzes are renowned for their distinctive stylised forms and exceptional craftsmanship. Small animal figures such as this were produced using sophisticated lost-wax casting techniques and may have served as decorative fittings, votive offerings, or components of ceremonial objects. The perforation through the body suggests that this figure may originally have been mounted or attached to a larger object, although its exact function can no longer be determined with certainty.

During the 9th–7th centuries B.C., specialised workshops produced a remarkable variety of bronze objects, including weapons, horse harness fittings, standards, finials, and animal figurines. Such bronzes were traded across regional exchange networks and reflect a long-established tradition of highly skilled metalworking that flourished during the Early Iron Age.

Dating to the 9th–7th century B.C., this ibex figure is characteristic of the artistic traditions of ancient Luristan. It provides a direct and tangible connection to the ancient world, where animals such as the ibex held both practical importance and enduring symbolic meaning.