Rare Large Luristan Bronze Horse Bell

$1,074.15

A rare, cast bronze bell in the form of a cage and large in size. It still contains the clapper inside. The bars of the cage are decorated with a regular pattern of male heads in relief, alternating with openwork goats, who butt their heads against the central bar.

Date: Circa 1200 - 800 BC
Period: Iron Age
Condition: Fine condition, complete and intact with accretions and patination but good stable metalwork.

SOLD

Ancient Persian craftsmen developed great skill in bronze working, producing some of the finest tools and weaponry then available. These include a great number of ornaments, tools, weapons, horse-fittings, as well as a smaller number of vessels. They have been uncovered in recorded excavations, and have generally come from burials. The ethnicity of the people who created them remains unclear, though they may well have been Persian, and possibly related to the modern Lur people (who have given their name to the area).

To discover more about the Luristan Empire, please visit our relevant blog post: The Luristan Empire: Beauty of Bronze.

Weight 358 g
Dimensions H 10.5 cm
Culture

Region

Metal

Reference: For similar examples see pages 98-100; P.R.S. Moorey (Department of Antiquities, Asmolean Museum Oxford); Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Adam Collection; 1974.

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