Vessel in the form of a bull

Spouted vessel in the form of a humped bull, or zebu, rendered in simple stylized form. A pair of horns, roughly crescentic in shape, rise from the sides of the head. A pronounced ridge resembling the dewlap extends from beneath the muzzle to between the forelegs, and a corresponding ridge suggesting the tail curves down the hindquarters. Incised dots form a punctate pattern on either side of the front ridge. The legs are short stumps. The surfaces are reddish-brown and burnished.

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Historical period(s)
Iron Age I - II, ca. 1350-800 BCE
Medium
Ceramic
Dimensions
H x W x D: 18.8 x 23.9 x 10.6 cm (7 3/8 x 9 7/16 x 4 3/16 in)
Geography
Northwestern Iran
Credit Line
Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian Institution
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1986.499
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceramic, Vessel
Type

Zoomorphic vessel

Keywords
bull, Iran, Iron Age I (ca. 1450 - 1250 BCE), Iron Age II (ca. 1250 - 800 BCE)
Provenance

To 1963
Galerie Semiha Huber, Zurich, Switzerland. [1]

From 1963 to 1966
Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981), purchased from Galerie Semiha Huber, Zurich, Switzerland. [2]

From 1966 to 1986
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. [3]

From 1986
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, transferred from Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC [4]

Notes:

[1] Purchased by Joseph H. Hirshhorn from Huber, Galerie Semiha, Zurich in 1963.

[2] See note 1.

[3] See document from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, object file, Collections Management Office.

[4] See object file, Collections Management Office.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Galerie Semiha Huber
Joseph H. Hirshhorn 1899-1981

Description

Spouted vessel in the form of a humped bull, or zebu, rendered in simple stylized form. A pair of horns, roughly crescentic in shape, rise from the sides of the head. A pronounced ridge resembling the dewlap extends from beneath the muzzle to between the forelegs, and a corresponding ridge suggesting the tail curves down the hindquarters. Incised dots form a punctate pattern on either side of the front ridge. The legs are short stumps. The surfaces are reddish-brown and burnished.

Published References
  • Ezat O. Negahban. Marlik: The Complete Excavation Repord. 2 vols., Philadelphia. .
  • Trudy S. Kawami. Ancient Iranian Ceramics from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. New York, 1992. .
  • , Robert H Dyson, Jr., Charles K. Wilkinson, Prudence Oliver Harper. Highlights of Persian Art. Persian Art Series, no. 1 Boulder. pp. 2-17.
  • E. Haerinck. Bronzeworking Centres of Western Asia, c. 1000-539 B.C. London. pp. 63-78.
  • Oscar W. Muscarella. Fibulae and Chronology, Marlik and Assur. vol. 11, no. 4, Winter 1984. pp. 413-19.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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