Bronze statuette of a plowing scene

East Greek

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 152

This unusual scene depicts a naked man plowing. Two oxen yoked together by the horns walk in opposite directions, possibly representing the turn at the end of the furrow. The statuette likely comes from the area around Smyrna in present-day Turkey, where more than seventy small bronzes of similar workmanship—including eight nearly identical to this one—were discovered before 1850. They were probably votive offerings dedicated to a deity associated with agriculture and fertility, such as the Anatolian goddess Kybele.

Bronze statuette of a plowing scene, Bronze, East Greek

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Bronze statuette of a plowing scene, Bronze, East Greek
Bronze statuette of a plowing scene, Bronze, East Greek
Bronze statuette of a plowing scene, Bronze, East Greek
Bronze statuette of a plowing scene, Bronze, East Greek
Bronze statuette of a plowing scene, Bronze, East Greek
Bronze statuette of a plowing scene, Bronze, East Greek
Bronze statuette of a plowing scene, Bronze, East Greek

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.