Horn-shaped vessels ending in an animal's head have a long history in the Near East as well as in Greece and Italy. Early Iranian examples are straight, with the cup and animal head in the same plane. Later, in the Achaemenid period, the head, or animal protome, was often placed at a right angle to the cup, as in this piece. In the manufacture of this gold vessel, several parts were invisibly joined by brazing, which demonstrates superb technical skill. One hundred and thirty-six feet of twisted wire decorate the upper band of the vessel in forty-four even rows, and the roof of the lion's mouth is raised in tiny ribs. Typical of Achaemenid style, the ferocity of the snarling lion has been tempered and restrained by decorative convention. The lion has a crest running down his back; his mane has the disciplined appearance of a woven material; and his flanks are covered by an ostrich plume. The inclusion of the plume, a departure from convention, suggests that this lion is winged and has some supernatural significance.
#7017. Vessel Terminating in the Forepart of a Fantastic Leonine Creature
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7017. Vessel Terminating in the Forepart of a Fantastic Leonine Creature
885. Kids: Vessel Terminating in the Forepart of a Fantastic Leonine Creature
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Title:Vessel terminating in the forepart of a fantastic leonine creature
Period:Achaemenid
Date:ca. 5th century BCE
Geography:Iran
Culture:Achaemenid
Medium:Gold
Dimensions:6 11/16 × 5 7/16 × 3 5/8 in., 2.1 lb. (17 × 13.8 × 9.2 cm, 1 kg)
Credit Line:Fletcher Fund, 1954
Accession Number:54.3.3
Ex-collection of Khalil Rabenou, New York; by 1953, Kevorkian collection; acquired by the Museum in 1954, purchased from The Kevorkian Foundation, New York.
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“Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, November 14, 1970–June 1, 1971.
“Gold,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, April 14–September 9, 1973.
“Best of Fifty,” The Taft Museum, Cincinnati, March 24–May 8, 1977.
“The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Selections from the Collection of the Ancient Near East Department,” MOA Museum of Art, Atami, Japan, The Aiche Prefectural Art Gallery, Nagoya, Japan, The Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan, 1983.
“Animal-Shaped Vessels from the Ancient World: Feasting with Gods, Heroes, and Kings.” Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, September 7, 2018–January 6, 2019.
"Epic Iran." The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, May 29, 2021–September 12, 2021.
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Benzel, Kim, Sarah B. Graff, Yelena Rakic, and Edith W. Watts. 2010. Art of the Ancient Near East: A Resource for Educators. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, image 25, pp. 100-101.
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Includes more than 7,000 works ranging in date from the eighth millennium B.C. through the centuries just beyond the time of the Arab conquests of the seventh century A.D.
