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© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
ClassificationsAncient Near Eastern Art

Sword Hilt with Bearded Male Heads and Crouching Lions

AAT Object Form/Functionswords
AAT Object Form/Functionhilts
AAT Object Form/Functionfigures (representations)
Place CreatedLuristan, Iran, Asia
PeriodIron Age III
Date8th-7th Century BCE
MediumIron, bronze
Credit LineGift of the Christian Humann Foundation
Dimensions7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
Object number1986.019.004
Label TextThe metalworkers of Luristan produced a wide variety of bronze objects which incorporated the stunning imagery of native animals and mythical beasts. Animal forms ranged in style from natural to abstract and were generally cast or hammered into shape as zoomorphic handles or projections on weapons and tools.

Exhibition HistorySelected Acquisitions: Asia to America, Emory University Museum of Art and Archaeology, May 8 - August 8, 1987
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 11, 1993 - Spring 2001
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2001 - January 2011
Monsters, Demons & Winged Beasts: Composite Creatures in the Ancient World, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - June 19, 2011
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, June 20, 2011 - 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), 40.
ProvenanceEx coll. Christian Humann (1929-1981), New York, New York, purchased from Mathias Komor (1909-1984), New York, New York. Thence by descent.
Status
On view
Collections
  • Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art