ClassificationsAncient Near Eastern Art
Whetstone Handle in the Form of a Leaping Ibex
AAT Object Form/FunctionTool Handles
AAT Object Form/FunctionWhetstones
Place CreatedLuristan, Iran, Asia
PeriodIron Age II
Date1000-800 BCE
MediumBronze, stone
Credit LineCarlos Collection of Ancient Art
Dimensions5 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. (14 x 26.7 cm)
Object number1984.018
Label TextSince bronze requires continual sharpening to maintain a useful edge, whetstones were an important piece of equipment used to hone the edges of daggers, swords, spears, arrows, and axes. Whetstone handles were often cast into zoomorphic representations of animals. The ibex was the most popular choice perhaps because of its most striking attribute-its sweeping curved horns. In almost all cases, these were curved into a convenient loop from which the whetstone was suspended.Exhibition HistoryThe Beauty of Beasts, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, Tennessee, November 1, 1992 - April 15, 1993
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 11, 1993 - Spring 2001
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2001 - February 12, 2018
Michael C. Carlos Museum Morgens West Foundation Galleries of Ancient Near Eastern Art, November 10, 2018 - Present
Published ReferencesMichael C. Carlos Museum Handbook (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 1996), 38.
ProvenancePurchased by Emory University Museum of Art and Archaeology from Charles Ede Ltd, London, England.
Status
On viewCollections
- Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art
1st Century BCE-1st Century CE
2nd Century CE
9th-8th Century BCE
late 19th Century
20th Century
1800-1600 BCE
late 6th Century BCE
1450-800 BCE
late 2nd Millennium BCE
1500-1000 BCE
