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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1992.256.53
Title
Striding Male
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture, statuette
Date
2nd Millennium BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Levant
Period
Bronze Age
Culture
Levantine
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304202

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Copper
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
8.3 x 2.4 x 2.5 cm (3 1/4 x 15/16 x 1 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Copper:
Cu, 98.12; Sn, less than 0.25; Pb, 1.03; Zn, 0.004; Fe, 0.22; Ni, 0.02; Ag, 0.13; Sb, less than 0.05; As, 0.48; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, less than 0.01; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Chemical Composition: Body
XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Copper
Alloying Elements: copper
Other Elements: lead/arsenic, iron

Back of head
XRF data from Artax 2
Alloy: Copper
Alloying Elements: copper
Other Elements: lead, iron, silver, arsenic

K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The patina is a raised, rough layer of black and gray. Small spots of green and red are also present in some areas. Some areas of the surface where the black layer has been lost or removed are well preserved. The rounded, stubby hands appear to be original to the casting rather than the result of damage or loss.

The object is a solid cast, probably from a model made directly in wax. The enlarged front of the trailing leg is irregular and appears to be a casting flaw caused by a bubble in the investment for the model. The facial features and the incised lines on the headdress appear to be made or enhanced by cold working.


Henry Lie (submitted 2012)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Louise M. and George E. Bates, Camden, ME (by 1971-1992), gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums, 1992.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Louise M. and George E. Bates
Accession Year
1992
Object Number
1992.256.53
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
The squat, thick proportions of this striding figure suggest a northern Levantine locale. Its outstretched arms end in rounded fists that show no evidence of having held any additional items. Slightly bulging almond-shaped eyes and a fleshy nose define the face. A single horizontal line marks the mouth, which recedes into the chin and neck. The figure wears a conical headdress that terminates abruptly with a flat top. It bears a central incised “feathering” design along the front, which may be meant to represent multiple pairs of horns—an attribute of divinity (1). A similar bronze figure, dated to the end of the second millennium, was excavated at Enkomi on Cyprus, although it stands immobile with its legs together (2). The Harvard bronze wears a short kilt, which is secured by a belt at the waist that conceals the transition from the frontal torso to the sideways legs. The legs, especially the back one, display irregularities in the bronze casting. These might be interpreted as greaves, such as those found on a famous spear-wielding bronze figure from Enkomi; they may also simply be the product of a casting flaw (3).

NOTES:

1. For bronze figurines wearing horned conical headdresses, see O. Negbi, Canaanite Gods in Metal: An Archaeological Study of Ancient Syro-Palestinian Figurines (Tel Aviv, 1976) nos. 1433 (no provenance), 1459 (Mishrifé, context unknown), and 1402, which has a very similar incised pattern (Cyprus, context unknown), pls. 28, 31, and 35.

2. J.-C. Courtois, J. Lagarce, and E. Lagarce, Enkomi et le bronze récent à Chypre (Nicosia, 1986) pl. 18.6.

3. The Enkomi statue depicts a male divinity with horned helmet, round shield in its left hand, and a spear in its raised right hand. He stands with feet close together on a miniature bronze ingot of the “oxhide” type. The greaves form what appears to be a thick overlay on the lower legs (ibid., pl. 18.4).


Marian Feldman

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