ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Lion, from a Vessel Rim
CultureGreek, perhaps Laconian
PeriodArchaic
Datemid 6th Century BCE
MediumBronze
Credit LineCarlos Collection of Ancient Art
Dimensions1 3/4 x 4 x 1 1/2 in. (4.4 x 10.2 x 3.8 cm)
Object number2005.008.001
Label TextOne of the happiest conventions in Greek art is the decoration of bronze vessels with sculptural attachments. These delightful appliqués were in archaic times cast separately, in the round, and attached with solder or rivets to the body of the vessel. Very often, the vessel itself, made of bronze hammered extremely thin, has perished, leaving behind only the cast elements-the rim, foot, handles, and adjuncts. Their subject matter is most often confined to a restricted number of animals, particularly lions, goats, rams, horses, and bulls, but sometimes includes human figures (banqueters, departing chariots) or mythological figures and monsters (Artemis, Amazons, griffins, sphinxes). Bronze vessels, commanding a much higher economic value than ceramic ones, circulated in elite society as gifts of diplomacy or trade, votive dedications in sanctuaries, prizes in athletic competitions, heirlooms and, often in the last resort, as grave-goods. They have been found as far afield as Egypt, Spain, Germany, and Russia. The lion may have been attached to the shoulder of the rim of a lebes (a rounded mixing vessel), or to the rim or lower ring-collar of a rod-tripod.Exhibition HistoryFrom Pharaohs to Emperors: New Egyptian and Classical Antiquities at Emory, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 14 - April 2, 2006
Monsters, Demons & Winged Beasts: Composite Creatures in the Ancient World, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - June 19, 2011
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, July 2014 - Present
Published ReferencesPeter Lacovara and Jasper Gaunt, "From Pharaohs to Emperors: Egyptian, Near Eastern & Classical Antiquities at Emory," Minerva 17 (January/February 2006): 9-16.
MCCM Newsletter, March - May 2006.
ProvenanceWith George Allen (1919-1998) [Hesperia Art], Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Purchased by MCCM from Robert Hecht (1919-2012) [Robert Hecht Gallery], New York, New York.
Status
On viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
ca. 540 BCE
mid 7th Century BCE
mid 7th Century BCE
2900-2350 BCE
305-30 BCE
3rd Century BCE
1539-1077 BCE
late 19th-early 20th Century
late 19th-early 20th Century
late 2nd Century BCE
