NORTH IRAN OR CASPIAN REGION, CIRCA 9TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.

Details

AN AMLASH BRONZE BULL
NORTH IRAN OR CASPIAN REGION, CIRCA 9TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/8 in. (13.6 cm.) high

Provenance

Private collection, Germany, acquired in the 1920s.
Private collection, Switzerland, acquired in 1967 (according to 1994 invoice).
Art market, London, acquired in 1994.
Auktion 8, Cahn Auktionen AG, Basel, 9 November 2013, lot 6.

Special notice

US persons wishing to buy this lot, and any persons wishing to import it into the USA, are reminded that the USA generally prohibits activities with Iranian-origin “works of conventional craftsmanship” such as carpets, textiles, decorative objects, and scientific instruments. Christie’s has an OFAC General License that enables the import of such items into the USA and their purchase by US persons, subject to certain conditions. Please contact Christie’s for further information if you are a US person and/or wish to import this lot into the USA.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Claudio Corsi Specialist, Head of Department

ccorsi@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7389 2607

Lot Essay

Several bronze animal figurines with schematic features, cylindrical bodies and distinctive raised hind quarter, usually representing stags or bulls, were typically produced in North-West Iran and the Southern Caspian region, see O.W. Muscarella, Bronze and Iron, New York, 1988, pp. 94-97. While other examples tend to be of small size and are either pierced or cast with a suspension loop, the present example is of much larger proportions and very fine workmanship, possibly a prestigious votive offering.

More from Antiquities

View All