A very fine Luristan cast bronze garment pin. It features a spool-shaped cap followed by a constricted neck and a spherical head resembling a poppy plant. There are four trumpet-shaped projections below the head. The sphere on top of the pin is decorated with a zig-rag relief and protruding granules, representing the calyx. Horizontal encircling bands are still visible underneath the brown patination and encrustations. Luristan objects are for the majority bronze cast items decorated with bronze sculptures and there have been many discovered in the Lorestān Province. This includes many weapons, tools and finials along with small amulets and fittings. The decorative technique is predominately openwork with Scythian art influences. Everyday objects were also desired which included pins and bracelets. Most of the Luristan bronze items have been recovered in funerary contexts, suggesting they had a ceremonial function. The bronze pins reported from covert excavations in Western Persia, particularly Luristan, surpass the tools and weapons of the area. They are superior both in terms of quantity, and in the variety of form and decoration. The pin-makers of Western Persia took their inspiration from the local flora and fauna, though it is difficult to determine precisely which fruits, flowers, or animals were used in the decoration. That said, the most common sources of artistic inspiration in both Greece and Western Persia seem to have been the poppy and pomegranate. Length: L 16.1cm x W 2.5cm Provenance: Ex major London collection, S. M. 1970-1999.