Top of standard with male figure and flanking ibexes attacked by dogs

ca. 1500–1100 BCE
Not on view
One of a pair, this cast bronze element was attached to a pole by the curved tang at the bottom. A hollow ring with ropelike ridges and incised rosettes in between is surmounted by a solid-cast striding male figure wearing a knee-length belted garment and boots with upturned toes. A snake supports his front foot. He holds an object, possibly an animal, at his chest while raising the other hand in a gesture of supplication. He has both a mustache and beard, and his hair projects slightly at the front. He is flanked by two solid recumbent horned animals whose haunches are attacked by crouching dogs. The style of the male figure and the snake point to Elam as the place of manufacture. The meaning of such an unusual composition is not known, but similar male figures are found among Elamite votive images.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Top of standard with male figure and flanking ibexes attacked by dogs
  • Period: Middle Elamite
  • Date: ca. 1500–1100 BCE
  • Geography: Southwestern Iran
  • Culture: Elamite
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 11 3/4 × 4 1/2 × 1 5/8 in. (29.8 × 11.5 × 4.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1957
  • Object Number: 57.13.1
  • Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art

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Top of standard with male figure and flanking ibexes attacked by dogs - Elamite - Middle Elamite - The Metropolitan Museum of Art