ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art

Lion, from a Vessel Rim

AAT Object Form/Functionfigurines

AAT Object Form/Functionappliqué (metalwork ornament)

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 view

Collections