Luristan Bronze Master-of-Animals standard finial (No reserve price)

A Magnificent Luristan bronze Master-of-Animals standard finial.
Dating:
Circa 9th-8th century B.C.

Size:
Height circa 17 cm without the modern wooden base.

A highly desirable finial or standard top, cast in the form of a tube which is modelled in the form of two rampant and symmetrical felines, possibly lions or panthers, with a rather large eye on each side of their heads. This type of finial belongs to the earliest stage of their development (see Overlaet, p. 333-334 and figure 5).

In ancient times such objects would have been joined to a separate standard, a pole or other support. In this case it is supported by a tapering bell-shaped stand.

It is not known with certainty how such standards were used, but attention has been drawn to the fact that this type of object has only been found in graves, which may be significant.

Literature:

Nicholas Engel a.o. (eds.), Bronzes du Luristan. Énigmes de l'Iran Ancien, IIIe-Ier millénaire av. J.C. (Paris, Musées; Musée Cernuschi, 2008), p. 180-186;
Houshang Mahboubian, The Art of Ancient Iran: Copper and Bronze (London, Philip Wilson Publishers, 1997), p. 128-133, nos. 110, 112-113, 115; p. 136, no. 120; p. 154, no. 150; p. 163, nos. 166-167;
P.R.S. Moorey, Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1971);
Oscar White Muscarella, Bronze and Iron. Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988), p. 136-154, esp. p 144-145, nos. 219-221;
Bruno Overlaet, “Luristan Metalwork in the Iron Age” in T. Stöllner, R. Slotta, A. Vatandoust (eds.) Persia's Ancient Splendour, Mining, Handicraft and Archaeology (Bochum, Deutsches Bergbau Museum, 2004), p. 328–338;
Eric de Waele, Bronzes du Luristan et d'Amlash, ancienne collection Godard (Louvain-la-Neuve, Institut supérieur d'archeologie et d'histoire de l'art, 1982), p. 93-121, esp. p. 95-97, figs. 77-78, nos. 108-113; p. 109-112, figs. 88-91;
Phil Watson, Luristan Bronzes in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (Birmingham, Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery, 2011), p. 2-4, fig. 1.




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