A LURISTAN MASTER OF ANIMALS BRONZE STANDARD FINIAL, IRAN, CIRCA 1000-650 BC

A LURISTAN 'MASTER OF ANIMALS' BRONZE STANDARD FINIAL, IRAN, CIRCA 1000-650 BC
The tubular base surmounted by a stylized Janus-headed figure flanked on both sides by mythical beasts whose paws are placed together on the central figure's chest. The figure is boldly cast with detail work along the waist and legs. The face has a broad nose, large eyes, and prominent ears. The bronze has a naturally grown patina with malachite and cuprite encrustations.
Provenance:
Galerie Persepolis, Brussels, exhibited from 28 October to 13 November 1971. Collection of Monsieur H., Brussels, Belgium, acquired from the above. Collection Madame D.T., acquired from the above.
Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, few nicks, light scratches, minor losses, signs of weathering and corrosion, and encrustations.
Weight: 263.2 g
Dimensions: Height 14.7 cm (incl. stand), 12.2 cm (excl. stand)
Luristan bronzes
are small cast and decorated objects from the Early Iron Age (first millennium BC) which have been found in large numbers in Lorestan province and Kermanshah in western Iran. They include a great number of ornaments, tools, weapons, horse fittings, and a smaller number of vessels including situlae and are characterized by a wide range of idiosyncratic forms and a highly stylized conception of human and animal representation. Those from recorded excavations were generally found in burials. The ethnicity of the people who created them remains unclear, though they may well have been Indo-European, possibly related to the modern Lur people who have given their name to the area. Luristan bronze objects came to the notice of the world art market from the late 1920s onwards. They were excavated in considerable quantities by local people and are found today in many of the world's most important museums.
The Master of Animals
is a motif in ancient art showing a human between and grasping two confronted animals. The subject is widespread in the art of the Ancient Near East and Egypt. Although such figures are not all deities, the term may be a generic name for several deities from a variety of cultures with close relationships to the animal kingdom or in part animal form (in cultures where that is not the norm). These figures control animals and are responsible for their continued reproduction and availability for hunters. The Greek god shown as 'Master of Animals' is usually Apollo, one of the gods of the hunt. Shiva has the epithet Pasupathi meaning the 'Lord of animals', and these figures may derive from an archetype. Chapter 39 of the Book of Job has been interpreted as an assertion of the deity of the Hebrew Bible as Master of Animals.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related Luristan bronze standard finial, 19.2 cm high, also dated circa 1000-650 BC, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.76.97.91. Compare a closely related Luristan bronze standard finial, 20.5 cm high, also dated circa 1000-650 BC, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.76.97.94.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 9 June 2022, lot 24
Price: USD 31,500 or approx.
EUR 29,000
converted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Luristan bronze goddess, circa 9th-7th century BC
Expert remark: Note the size (13.7 cm)
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 4 June 2015, lot 154
Price: USD 23,750 or approx.
EUR 27,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Luristan bronze goddess finial, circa 9th-7th century BC
Expert remark: Note the slightly larger size (18.4 cm)