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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1969.177.28
Title
Spherical Cage Pinhead or Finial
Classification
Jewelry
Work Type
pin
Date
10th-7th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Iran
Period
Iron Age II-III
Culture
Iranian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304294

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
3.5 x 5.9 x 1.7 cm (1 3/8 x 2 5/16 x 11/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 90.41; Sn, 7.85; Pb, 0.78; Zn, 0.01; Fe, 0.16; Ni, 0.12; Ag, 0.05; Sb, 0.13; As, 0.46; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.037; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Technical Observations: The patina consists mostly of raised green, blue, and brown (iron rust) corrosion products. Red is visible in several areas as an underlying layer. Areas of wear appear to reveal a well-preserved surface. Most areas are obscured by raised corrosion products. The remains of the iron pin are visible as rust surrounding the hole where the pin shaft was inserted.

Asymmetry in the relief of the two sides points to direct forming of the wax model rather than casting it in a mold. There is no visible evidence of cold working on the surface.


Henry Lie (submitted 2012)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Harry J. Denberg, New York, NY (by 1969), gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1969.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Harry J. Denberg
Accession Year
1969
Object Number
1969.177.28
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
Crowned by a tip in the shape of a nail head, this openwork globe is formed by 11 diagonally hatched bars. The cage surmounts a round, hollow neck encircled by a raised rib, and it has a flared collar into which a pin shank could have been inserted.

Although it is a bit larger, this object is very similar in form to spherical cage pinheads attributed to Luristan and the region of the Caspian Sea (1). It could have contained pellets that would have rattled when shaken (2). Pendant bells of related form are also attributed to Luristan (3).

NOTES:

1. See P. R. S. Moorey, Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, 1971) 190-91, nos. 309-10, pl. 49.

2. See O. W. Muscarella, Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, 1988) 279, no. 379.

3. See ibid., 278, no. 378; and N. Spear, Jr., A Treasury of Archaeological Bells (New York, 1978) 83-90, nos. 60-70 and 76-87.


Amy Gansell

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