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Near Eastern Art :
Luristan Art : Luristan Bronze Standard Finial
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Luristan Bronze Standard Finial - LR.036
Origin: Central Asia
Circa: 900
BC
to 600
BC
Dimensions:
5" (12.7cm) high
Collection: Near Eastern
Style: Luristan
£9,000.00 Sale Price: £3,000.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
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Luristan (or Lorestan) literally means “Land of the
Lurs”, and was situated
in a wide sweep of the Zagros mountains in what
is now western Iran.
The sociopolitics of this area are complex, with
repeated waves and
invasions of Medes, Cimmerians and Persians,
amongst others, but the
culture thus created is remarkable for its superb
control of metalworking.
There are many styles, but the best-known
pieces of bronze from this
area are anthropomorphic and zoomorphic
pieces reflecting religious and
secular tastes, as well as weaponry and utilitarian
items that were buried
with the deceased in tombs across the Zagros
area. It was nonetheless
viewed as a precious resource, and was used
alongside iron once this
metal became available, for while its qualities of
hardness and durability
were recognized, it merely made bronze a more
socially exclusive
material. The hallmark of Luristan wares is the
tendency to elongate the
necks, tails and bodies of the animals to produce
graceful curves and
arches. The re-discovery of the splendor of
Luristan metalwork began in
the 1930s and made considerable progress after
World War II. The
absence of relevant written records makes their
complex imagery
difficult to interpret in specific religious terms
but it is likely that they
represent local deities of some kind. It has been
suggested that such
elaborate bronze items must have been the
preserve of the tribal leaders,
a warrior class with the means to equip
themselves and their households
for war.
Gods and goddesses who control wild animals
are as old as civilization
itself, perhaps reflecting some innate human
desire to rise above the
natural world. In this particularly splendid
example--in which the
distinctions between woman and beast are
delightfully blurred--a young
goddess holds two rather mysterious animals by
their necks, while the
lower half of the finial takes the form of leopard
haunches with curling
tails. This is an abstract image which evokes a
variety of emotions, most
of them mysterious, primal, older than memory.
- (LR.036)
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