Patera (shallow bowl) Handle in the Form of a Lion
late 6th century BCE
Description
This handle for a patera, a shallow cup-shaped vessel, is in the form of an outstretched leaping lion. The handle consists of larger palmetted-shaped end which the lion rests its forepaws, and the smaller, heart-shaped end provides a base for the lion's hindlegs. The hindlegs are formed as a single element, probably for stability. The head is carefully modelled, with a rippled snout, lips, eyebrows, ears, and mane.
Dimensions
Greatest extension: 22.3 cm (8 3/4 in.) Volutes: 6.7 cm (2 5/8 in.)
Provenance
Dr. Leo Mildenberg, Zurich, Switzerland, (by 1999-2001), bequest; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2004.
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