SculptureIranian10th-8th century BCE

Finial Support with Four Faces

10th-8th century BCE

Description

This bulbous finial support is decorated with four faces. The faces have two variations, and each face shares elements with the neighboring faces. Each face is composed of two large, circular eyes, a nose, and ears. The ears of one face become the noses of the neighboring faces and vice versa; the neighboring faces share the eyes. Two have broad faces, with molded jawlines and no mouths, short, prominent noses, and large, two-lobed ears. The other two faces are more animal-like, with longer, less prominent noses, small molded mouths connected to raised jowl lines (the jaw-lines of the adjacent faces) and curved, prominent ears (very animal-like) with the interior area indicated. The finial support is widest where the body connects to the cylindrical neck, and it tapers toward the open bottom, which is ringed by three raised bands; the lowest band is the thickest. Where the body joins the neck, there is a molded ring with two raised bands. The neck is uniformly cylindrical, with an opening at the top for the insertion of a pin from a finial. The hole does not completely traverse the body. The top is a flattened, plain circle.

Classification

Sculpture

Technique

Cast, lost-wax process

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Iranian

Period

Iron Age

Century

10th-8th century BCE