South Arabian Bronze Camel Rider

£ 795.00

A very fine South Arabian bronze statuette of a dromedary and its rider. The animal is rendered in a stylised manner featuring long legs with large feet, a thin, narrow body and a curved neck. Attention has been paid to the head with its round eyes, mouth and ears. The animal is wearing a bridle and the rider sits upon a mahawi saddle, placed over the camels back. His arms are raised and what looks like crossed whilst holding onto a long cylindrical object, possibly part of a rein.

Date: 2nd-1st century BC
Provenance: Acquired in the 1980s from a French collection.
Condition: Fine condition, intact. Some of the detailing to the rider is worn due to age. The surface is covered with an attractive patination and earthly encrustations. Mounted on a custom-made base.

SOLD

SKU: SK-94 Category: Tags: , ,

Ancient South Arabia is a geographical label referring to a region occupied by six semitic kingdoms: Sabaʼ, Qatabān, Ma‘īn, Ḥaḍramawt, the Kingdom of Awsan, and the Himyarite Kingdom. The territory of these kingdoms corresponds to a modern-day area including Yemen, and extending into Oman, north to the Arabian oasis of Dedan, to Ethiopia, and even as far along as the East African Coast, into modern Tanzania.

Animals occupied a prominent place in ancient art across a number of civilisations and across a variety of media, including painting, pottery, and jewellery. Some animals were venerated, whilst others were sacrificed. Their depiction is thus endowed with significance in several contexts: in religious rituals, as mythical creatures, and as incarnations or symbols of gods and goddesses.

Weight 162.3 g
Dimensions L 7.1 x W 2.1 x H 9.5 cm
Culture

Metal

Region

Reference: For a similar item, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, item 376239

You may also like…