You may also like...
Come Visit Us
Any item from this site may be viewed by appointment at our Washington, DC location
Tuesday - Friday between 11 am - 5 pm.
Phone: 202 342 0518
MB2001
This openwork pin, cast from the lost-wax process, depicts a master of animals figure wearing a headdress and ribbed collar with arms raised, flanked by two inverted lions, framed in a crescent emerging from a lion mask at the base of the figure and terminating in a pair of caprid heads with ribbed collars.
Pins of this form were the most popular votive pins in Luristan. The diety shown on them all in the role of "master/mistress of animals" was of considerable eminence and power in the local pantheon. The central figure on these pinheads occasionally has a lion mask in place of a semi-human face or two such lion heads set side by side in profile, or they may assume the head and horns of a mouflon. As these pins were all cast using the lost-wax process, and therefore all individually modeled, no two examples are exactly alike. There is a large variety in the details, but all are related by the iconography of a mistress or master of animals framed by a crescent or square.
Ref: PRS Moorey, Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford: The Clareon Press (1971), p. 205.
PRS Moorey, Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Adams Collection, London: Faber and Faber (1974), pp. 123-124.
Houshang Mahboubian, Art of Ancient Iran: Copper and Bronze, London: Philip Wilson (1997), pp. 191, 193.
Dimensions: Height: 5.5 inches (14 cm), Width: 3.5 inches (8.9 cm)
Condition: Intact and in excellent condition overall. On museum quality custom mount.
Provenance: From an important and internationally renowned single owner collection, assembled in the 1960s, with original inventory number: UA1091, thereafter private Virginia collection, acquired from the trade in 2011.
We ship Tuesday to Friday with FedEx and usually same day if your order is received before 2pm. Within the continental USA, packing, shipping and insurance is free. Depending on size and destination, delivery times range from one to five business days.
For overseas shipments we charge a small flat rate which includes packing, preparation of all customs paperwork, insurance and carrier fees in compliance with all USA and International customs requirements. Overseas shipments are sent using either USPS Priority Mail or FedEx but contact us if you have a shipping preference. International customers are responsible for all duties and taxes.
Any item from this site may be viewed by appointment at our Washington, DC location
Tuesday - Friday between 11 am - 5 pm.
Phone: 202 342 0518
The rare, the interesting and the exceptional. Browse Sue's curated selection of special objects...
Discover the beauty of ancient jewelry. Our pendant collection is wearable and unique
Just want to see what has recently been added to the website? Check out our latest additions here...
Save 10% on your first order, get all the latest and greatest news, sales, new additions and more.