2023.501.29: Straight Pin with Disc Head (Two-Headed Bull, Flan, Tree of Life)
JewelryIdentification and Creation
- Object Number
- 2023.501.29
- Title
- Straight Pin with Disc Head (Two-Headed Bull, Flan, Tree of Life)
- Classification
- Jewelry
- Work Type
- pin
- Date
- 10th-8th century BCE
- Places
-
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Luristan (Iran)
Find Spot: Middle East, Iran, Western Iran - Period
- Iron Age
- Culture
- Iranian
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/303898
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Bronze
- Technique
- Repoussé
- Dimensions
- 19.5 x 13.5 cm (7 11/16 x 5 5/16 in.)
- Technical Details
-
Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, iron, nickel, silver, antimony, arsenic
K. Eremin, January 2014Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 92.57; Sn, 6.84; Pb, 0.06; Zn, 0.005; Fe, 0.15; Ni, 0.04; Ag, 0.02; Sb, 0.06; As, 0.24; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.017; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. RiedererTechnical Observations: The patina on the obverse is green with areas of brown and small spots of underlying red. The reverse is dark green with black, red, and brown accretions. The top and sides near the edge are lost. The metal is completely mineralized in some areas, which is convincing evidence of long-term burial. Flecks of bright metal on the corroded areas of the reverse appear to be redeposited copper, from either burial or a treatment.
The handle and disc were probably formed from a cast rod of bronze by cold working. The repoussé work was primarily created from the reverse, with the boundaries of relief elements refined from the obverse. Fine details on the obverse were punched and traced using pointed, elongated, and crescent-shaped tools. The black deposit in recesses on the reverse could be the residue of a backing material applied to support the object during the repoussé work.
Henry Lie
Provenance
- Recorded Ownership History
- Kurt H. Weil, Montclair, NJ (1927-1992), by descent; to Kathleen Weil-Garris Brandt, New York (1992-2023), gift; to the Harvard Art Museums.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Professor Kathleen Weil-Garris Brandt
- Accession Year
- 2023
- Object Number
- 2023.501.29
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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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