Bearded Bull’s Head
- Artist Culture
- Ancient Near Eastern,
Mesopotamian
Sumerian - Period
- Early Dynastic III period, 2600–2450 BC,
Bronze Age, 3000–1100 BC - Date
- 2600–2450 BC
- associated with
- Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Asia
- Classification
- Metalwork, sculpture
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 259
- Dimensions
- 9 1/4 x 9 1/16 x 4 3/4 in. (23.5 x 23 x 12.1 cm)
- Credit Line
- Friends Endowment Fund
- Rights
- Contact Us
- Object Number
- 260:1951
NOTES
This powerful head cast of solid copper has a hollow in the back so that it could be attached to a larger object. The head is brought to life with inlaid eyes of lapis lazuli and shell. It was probably part of a copper relief or a three-dimensional figure that protected the façade or interior of an early temple. The bull's massive head is emphasized by a stocky muzzle and shortened horns. The addition of a curled, wide beard looks curiously natural on an animal that symbolized the sky god An. As the embodiment of fertility and power, the bearded bull served as an ever-present symbol of divine protection and royal might through centuries of ancient Near Eastern art.
Provenance
by 1949 - 1951
E. S. David, Long Island City, NY, USA [1]
1951 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from E. S. David [2]
Notes:
[1] E. S. David sent the head to the conservation lab at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A letter dated April 28, 1949, from Bill Young, the conservator, to David indicates conservation work done on the bull's head [SLAM document files].
[2] Bill of sale dated November 17, 1951 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, November 8, 1951.
E. S. David, Long Island City, NY, USA [1]
1951 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from E. S. David [2]
Notes:
[1] E. S. David sent the head to the conservation lab at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A letter dated April 28, 1949, from Bill Young, the conservator, to David indicates conservation work done on the bull's head [SLAM document files].
[2] Bill of sale dated November 17, 1951 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, November 8, 1951.