|
HOME :
Classical Antiquities :
Classical Bronzes : Bronze Hellenistic period handle, decorated with female head in relief
|
 |
|
|
|
Bronze Hellenistic period handle, decorated with female head in relief - PH.0149
Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: 300
BC
to 100
BC
Dimensions:
6.5" (16.5cm) high
Style: Hellenistic Period
Medium: Bronze
Location: Great Britain
|
|
|
| Description |
Vessels in ancient Greece were made in
great quantities and in diverse materials,
which included terracotta, glass, ivory, stone,
wood, leather, bronze, silver, and gold.
Most vases of precious metals have largely
disappeared as they were melted down and
reused, but ancient literary sources from
literature and inscriptions testify to their
existence.
Many more bronze vessels must have existed
in antiquity because they were considerably
less expensive than silver and gold, and more
have survived because they were buried in
tombs or hidden in hoards beneath the
ground.
The handles, mouths and feet of bronze
vessels were often cast separately from a
mold.
Such cast parts were consequently attached
to the hammered body of the vase with rivets
or solders, or a combination of the two
methods.
In many cases, the thin, hammered bodies of
bronze vases have disappeared entirely or
are extremely fragmentary because of the
corrosive effects of the soil in which they
were buried. The solid handles, mouths and
feet have fared better. They often are
decorated with geometric patterns, powerful
animals, mythical creatures and human
figures, especially at the points at which the
handles are attached to the body of the vase.
The mouth, foot, and ends of the handles
usually are decorated with geometric or floral
patterns rendered in low relief. Sometimes,
and below handles posed vertically against
the body of the vase, independently worked
appliquées often appear, which were made
using a repoussé technique that involves
hammering the panel from the front and back
to achieve different levels of relief within the
composition.
- (PH.0149)
|
| |
|
