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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1920.44.292
Title
Deity's Beard
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
fragment
Date
mid 7th-late 1st century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Egypt (Ancient)
Period
Late Period to Ptolemaic
Culture
Egyptian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/303972

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
12.2 x 3.8 cm (4 13/16 x 1 1/2 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Leaded Bronze:
Cu, 79.73; Sn, 4.22; Pb, 15.5; Zn, 0.016; Fe, 0.01; Ni, 0.05; Ag, 0.05; Sb, 0.09; As, 0.34; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.005; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001

J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The patina is dark brown and green. The piece is structurally sound, although pitted with porosity that is particularly visible at the back. The surface has been stripped, removing much of the corrosion products and resulting in the loss of some of the original surface detail. Some corrosion and burial accretions remain on the back.

The solid beard was cast by the lost-wax process in one piece, together with the large rectangular-sectioned tang that served to mount it to its deity’s chin. The tang may also have served as a sprue for casting. The slightly concave shape of the back of the beard is probably the result of forming the wax model in an open back mold. The neat, striated texture of the braided beard on the front was probably done in the wax.


Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Miss Elizabeth Gaskell Norton, Boston, MA and Miss Margaret Norton, Cambridge, MA (by 1920), gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1920.

Note: The Misses Norton were daughters of Charles Elliot Norton (1827-1908).

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Misses Norton
Accession Year
1920
Object Number
1920.44.292
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
This long, narrow beard attachment is solid cast. It is relatively thin but has a slight vertical curve as well as a somewhat concave back. Precisely incised parallel lines in a herringbone pattern indicate the interlaced plaits. The angularity of the design is reinforced by the sharply tapered beard and small, tight curl at the bottom. The relatively long length may indicate a non-Egyptian manufacture, although as a whole the piece is fairly typical in its execution. A long rectangular tang extends from the top for attachment.

This beard was meant to be attached to larger statues of anthropomorphic gods, all of whom are typically represented with one. The hair is shown plaited tightly to form a narrow, tapering beard, unlike those of kings, which flare at the bottom and lack the upturned curl seen here (1).

NOTES:

1. Compare a fragmentary deity’s beard at the Brooklyn Museum, inv. no. 16.241.


Marian Feldman

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Related Works

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