Luristan Bronze Spearhead with Decorations

£ 495.00

A fine Luristan spearhead cast from bronze featuring a short, triangular blade with a central raised midrib. The blade leads to a long socket for attaching onto a wooden shaft. The cylindrical socket displays two piercings at the base in which a small bronze rod is placed for attaching and securing the blade. The upper section of the socket is enriched with incised geometric motifs including diagonal lines and cross hatching. The seam of when the bronze is curved to form the socket is visible across the back.

Date: Circa 1200-600 BC
Condition: Fine condition, the spearhead has been professionally cleaned. Minor chips along the edges of the blade consistent with age. Green patina is visible across the surface.

SOLD

SKU: LD-780 Category: Tags: , ,

Luristan bronze comes from the Lorestan Province, renowned in antiquity for its sophisticated metal-working. Weapons, tools, amulets, jewellery and finials comprise the majority of bronze output from the region and most have been recovered in funerary contexts, suggesting they had a ceremonial function. The decorative technique is predominately openwork with Scythian art influences. However, the identity of those who created these fine pieces are still unknown to this day. Animals were often featured as decorations; they ranged from mammals such as ibexes and large bird to zoomorphic creatures including griffins. A prime and popular example is the Master of Animals which usually depicts a man or women holding animals or just the animals themselves facing each other on finials or standards. This imagery can be seen across the Mesopotamian civilisations.

To find out more about metalwork in Luristan please see our relevant blog post: The Luristan Empire: Beauty of Bronze.

Weight 175 g
Dimensions L 27.8 x W 3 cm
Culture

Metal

Region

You may also like…