Ancient Very Rare Luristan Bronze Ibex 900-800 Bc For Sale

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The Ancient Luristan Community - Bronze Artwork

The term 'Luristan' references artifacts made by a society of semi-nomadic people that once lived in the mountainous region of Northwest Iran. The Luristan bronzes were crafted by the earliest existence of the Median empire. The Medes were Indo-Iranian people originally from central Asia who settled in Northwest Iran in the 9th century BC and later defeated the Assyrian empire in 614 BC. Their success is short-lived and their empire which once stretched from central Iran to the Persian Gulf and Anatolia was overrun in 550 BC by the Persians.

The people living in the mountains of Luristan seemed to have been fascinated by the animal kingdom, since the bronzes depict animals, birds, fish, and insects both cast in bronze and incised on bowls and plaques.

Wild life that was local to the region includes the mountain goat (ibex), mountain sheep, deer, bear, fox, and boar. Lions, leopards, panthers, and antelopes are also illustrated; they may all have been native to the region in early times. The monkey, shown infrequently, was a curiosity that may have been shown by traveling entertainers. The domestic animals and fowl include the horse, sheep, goat, pig, bull, cow, camel, dog, rooster, duck, goose, and dove. Not domesticated were the bee, eagle, snake, fish, crane, and frog.

Many fantastic animals are found among the bronzes. Some have been provided with wings, a mark of association with divinities. Some are composite animals, some have human faces and some animals have plant forms growing out of their backs. Their bronze work is characterized by ornamentation that includes the free use of animal and demonic human forms applied to such products as weapons, horse fittings, and jewelry.

About this Bronze Pendant

One of our favourite and most precious items, this gorgeous and extremely rare Luristan bronze pendant depicts an ibex, bearing crisp and defined features which include its long, curving horns, a concaved back, an outward-pointed tail with a suspension loop at the base of its neck; as it stands upright upon its raised base with four well-drilled holes. A bronze bell (in total, four) would once have been suspendd from each of these drillled-holes. This pendant was worn as a necklace to protect the ancient wearer from harm and misfortunes and thought to be a powerful means of averting the approach of evil demons. A lovely dark, natural patina is retained all over with a rich layer of light earthen encrusttaions seen especially in hollow areas of the pendant.

Additional Information

Dated – 900 - 800 BC

Height - 37.5 mm

Nose to Tail - 27 mm

Thickness - 8 mm

Hanging Hole - 2 mm

Each base hole (x4) - 2.3 mm

Weight - 12.5 grams

Type of material - Bronze

Condition – Excellent, Very Well-Preserved

(Hanging) Hoop Intact

Four Base Drill Holes Intact

Region of ancient origin – Ancient (Northwest) Irantags

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This item has been shown 171 times. Ancient Very Rare Luristan Bronze Ibex 900-800 Bc: $225