Vase with a handle in the form of a human-headed bull protome
This faience vessel has incised decoration on the outside, including two rows of vertical lines with a guilloche pattern between them below the rim. The body of the vessel has a stylized human figure facing forward, with a large bird on the right. A protome, possibly a handle, emerges from the rim of the vessel in the form of a kneeling human-headed bull creature. He has a long beard and a bulbous hat with two horns at the front, indicating divinity. His eyes are seemingly closed.
This vessel was excavated at Surkh Dum, a settlement site in Luristan in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. It was found in a structure interpreted as a sanctuary and was thus probably an offering to a god. Other faience vessels with similar designs but different shapes have been found at Susa, suggesting that it was made in Elam.
The human-headed bull is a well-known feature of ancient Near Eastern art. Often called a ‘lamassu,’ the creature is generally understood to be a protective entity, which is why colossal bull-men are represented in the doorways and gateways of Assyrian and Achaemenid palaces.
This vessel was excavated at Surkh Dum, a settlement site in Luristan in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. It was found in a structure interpreted as a sanctuary and was thus probably an offering to a god. Other faience vessels with similar designs but different shapes have been found at Susa, suggesting that it was made in Elam.
The human-headed bull is a well-known feature of ancient Near Eastern art. Often called a ‘lamassu,’ the creature is generally understood to be a protective entity, which is why colossal bull-men are represented in the doorways and gateways of Assyrian and Achaemenid palaces.
Artwork Details
- Title: Vase with a handle in the form of a human-headed bull protome
- Period: Neo-Elamite
- Date: ca. 8th–7th century BCE
- Geography: Iran, Luristan, Surkh Dum
- Culture: Elamite
- Medium: Faience
- Dimensions: 5 9/16 × 5 3/8 × 2 5/16 in. (14.2 × 13.6 × 5.9 cm)
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1943
- Object Number: 43.102.45a–c
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art
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Achaemenid
ca. 5th century BCE
Iran
ca. 7th–6th century BCE
Iran
ca. 10th–8th century BCE
Iran
ca. early 1st millennium BCE
Parthian
ca. 1st century BCE
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