ticketsMember | Make a donation

Pair of bird-shaped handles

ca. 9th century BCE
Not on view
These handles were once fixed, each by three rivets, to a hammered bronze shallow bowl or basin. They are in the form of stylized long-necked birds with outstretched wings and tail; a fixed rectangular handle rises from the wing tips. Each bird head, which faced out from the bowl, projects slightly forward, with a herringbone pattern on the beak and neck, and the eyes etched in simple concentric circles. The wings and tails are decorated by incised herringbone patterns to suggest separate feathers. Such bird-head protome attachments are represented in Near Eastern art in the round on buckets and cauldrons as well as on bowls and basins. They were popular in Assyria and Iran during the ninth and eighth centuries B.C.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pair of bird-shaped handles
  • Period: Iron Age II, Hasanlu Period IV
  • Date: ca. 9th century BCE
  • Geography: Iran, Hasanlu
  • Culture: Iran
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 4 1/4 × 3 15/16 × 1 13/16 in. (10.8 × 10 × 4.6 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Mrs. Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff Gift, 1961
  • Object Number: 61.100.3a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Shallow bowl or basin
Iran
ca. 9th century BCE
Spouted jar, Ceramic, Iran
Spouted jar
Iran
ca. 9th century BCE
Lion's head terminal, Bronze, Iran
Lion's head terminal
Iran
ca. 9th century BCE
Lion pin, Bronze, iron, Iran
Lion pin
Iran
ca. 9th century BCE
Pin in the form of a lion, Bronze, iron, Iran
Pin in the form of a lion
Iran
ca. 9th century BCE

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.