A rare Sumerian Copper Pin with Lapis Snake Finial, ca. 3rd millennium BCE
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A long copper pin with a blue-green patina over a red-brown oxide ground. The finial is carved from deep blue lapis lazuli and takes the form of a compact, stylized coiled snake with an enlarged head marked by simple incised lines. Pins of this type served as luxury dress or hair fasteners, with the carved finial functioning as a visible ornament that signaled personal status. The combination of a metal shaft and a hard-stone finial is well documented in Early Dynastic Mesopotamia, where lapis was a prized luxury material.
A strong parallel is a Sumerian silver pin from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Accession 33.35.44), dated to the Early Dynastic IIIa period, which features a carved lapis lazuli finial atop a long metal shaft. Although the Met example bears a rounded lapis knob rather than a zoomorphic head, the format, scale, and pairing of materials closely align with the present piece and confirm its role as a high-status personal adornment.
Additional comparanda include Early Dynastic and Akkadian bronze pins fitted with stone finials from Ur, Fara, and Kish, many of which employ lapis, shell, or carnelian as decorative tops. Hard-stone animal and symbolic finials are also attested in Bronze Age Mesopotamia, and the stylized serpent motif corresponds with imagery frequently encountered on contemporaneous cylinder seals and small luxury objects.
Medium: Copper, lapis lazuli
Dimensions: Height: 8 inches (20.3 cm)
Condition: The lapis finial is complete and professionally rejoined from four original fragments, with join lines visible. The copper shaft shows an encrusted blue-green patina and localized pitting consistent with burial and age. The pin is structurally stable overall and mounted on a custom metal base.
Provenance: David Anavian Collection, Los Angeles, California. Imported into the United States between 1979 and 1980 when the Anavian family emigrated from Iran. Thereafter in a private New York collection, acquired from Sumer Gallery, New York, in 2009.
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