Lot n° 37
Estimation :
1000 - 1200
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 1 430EUR
LURISTAN SCEPTER TO THE "MASTER OF THE ANIMALS - Lot 37
LURISTAN SCEPTER TO THE "MASTER OF THE ANIMALS
Bronze,
Western Iran / Luristan,
circa 900-700 B.C.
Spectacular Luristan bronze scepter featuring a highly stylized janiform anthropomorphic figure in a symmetrical "master of animals" composition. The central figure, with its schematic, hieratic body, firmly grasps the necks of two confronting fantastical creatures, probably two-headed animals, in an iconography emblematic of Western Iranian ritual bronzes.
The top of the scepter concentrates all the work's symbolic power: the human figure, double and frontal, seems to dominate a composite animal world, between reality, myth and protective function. This theme of the master of animals, widespread in the cultures of the Ancient Near East, takes on a particularly nervous, abstract and dynamic expression in the productions of Luristan.
dynamic expression.
The slender stem, structured by successive volumes, lends the object a remarkable ceremonial presence. By virtue of its proportions, composition and iconography, this scepter belongs to the repertoire of objects of prestige or power, probably associated with a votive, ritual or symbolic function.
Beautiful archaeological patina, with old oxidation.
Provenance :
British private collection.
Former collection of Mr. R. Unger.
Previously with a London gallery.
Acquired on the British art market in the 1980s.
Certificate :
Apollo Art Auctions Ltd, London, lot 413.
The object is indicated as having been verified with the Art Loss Register database.
Comparative reference:
The British Museum, London, inv. 1914,0214.42.
Commentary:
Bronze scepters and shafts from Luristan are among the most recognizable products of the Iranian Iron Age. Their formal language, at once geometric, animal and mythological, testifies to a highly accomplished art of stylization. The combination of a janiform figure and fantastical animals lends this work a strong symbolic dimension, evoking mastery, protection and ritual power. With its slender format and the quality of its composition, this scepter is a fine example of the ceremonial objects that have made Luristan bronzes famous in major public and private collections.
Weight : 335 g.
L : 37 ; W : 6.5 cm.
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue