Harvard Art Museums > 2012.1.32: Votive Nail or Punch Ritual Implements Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Votive Nail or Punch , 2012.1.32,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 26, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/178334. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2012.1.32 Title Votive Nail or Punch Classification Ritual Implements Work Type ritual implement Date 3rd-4th century CE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World Period Roman Imperial period Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/178334 Physical Descriptions Medium Copper alloy Technique Cast and hammered Dimensions h. 7.4 x w. 0.6 x d. 0.6 cm (2 7/8 x 1/4 x 1/4 in.) Technical Details Technical Observations: The patina is a thin dark-green layer with areas of underlying brown and red visible. Microscopic spots of black sulfide are present. The surface is in good condition, and the nail is structurally sound There is no evidence of casting, but this solid nail could have been either cast or cold worked to its present shape. Most areas of the surface show file abrasions, perhaps marks from the original finishing. Decorative grooves up to 1 mm deep have been filed into two adjacent sides, and 1-mm circular punch marks decorate the other two adjacent sides. Henry Lie (submitted 2008) Provenance Recorded Ownership History The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (before 1970-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University Accession Year 2012 Object Number 2012.1.32 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums This nail or punch is decorated on two sides with incised zigzag lines; on the other two sides, it is decorated by wavy lines of small circular punches. The head shows lines radiating out from the center. The nail is square in section and tapers to a point. Four nails in the British Museum, London, are similar to the Harvard example (1). The markings on the London examples are legible magical texts and images, unlike the markings on the Harvard example, but it is likely that the Harvard piece also had magical connotations (2). NOTES: 1. Inv. nos. 1856,1226.886; 1873,0820.146-47; and 1975,0902.8; see H. B. Walters, Catalogue of the Bronzes in the British Museum: Greek, Roman and Etruscan (London, 1899) 370, nos. 3191-94. 2. See ibid. for transcriptions of the texts. Lisa M. Anderson Publication History John Crawford, Sidney Goldstein, George M. A. Hanfmann, John Kroll, Judith Lerner, Miranda Marvin, Charlotte Moore, and Duane Roller, Objects of Ancient Daily Life. A Catalogue of the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection Belonging to the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, ed. Jane Waldbaum, Department of the Classics (unpublished manuscript, 1970), M156, p. 199 [J. S. Crawford] Subjects and Contexts Ancient Bronzes Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
