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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1995.39
Title
Head of a Lynx with Open Mouth
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
1st-3rd century
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/302057

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
3.7 x 4.3 x 4.2 cm (1 7/16 x 1 11/16 x 1 5/8 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Leaded Bronze:
Cu, 90.05; Sn, 6.82; Pb, 2.66; Zn, 0.005; Fe, 0.14; Ni, 0.05; Ag, 0.04; Sb, 0.22; As, less than 0.10; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.01; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Leaded Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin, lead
Other Elements: iron, antimony
K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The patina is reddish brown. The object is a hollow cast, and remnants of core material are present. Most of the fine incised lines depicting fur appear to have been made in the wax model. There are long striations between the high relief hair on the top of the head. A punch was used on the cast metal inside the ears and at the back of the neck. There are also cold-working marks inside the mouth. The uneven finishing of the eye sockets suggests they originally held inlays that have not survived.


Tracy Richardson (submitted 1999)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Charles Dikran Kelekian, New York, NY, (by 1982), by inheritance; to Nancy Rodney Kelekian, New York, NY, (1982-1995), gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1995.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Nanette B. Rodney
Accession Year
1995
Object Number
1995.39
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Henry Lie and Francesca Bewer, "Ex Aere Factum: Technical Notes on Ancient Bronzes", Ancient Bronzes through a Modern Lens: Introductory Essays on the Study of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes, ed. Susanne Ebbinghaus, Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2014), 38-63, pp. 55-56, fig. 2.12.
  • Susanne Ebbinghaus, ed., Ancient Bronzes through a Modern Lens: Introductory Essays on the Study of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes, Harvard Art Museum/Yale University Press (Cambridge, MA, 2014), pp. 56, 66, fig. 2.12

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 3440 Middle East, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 11/16/2016

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project
  • Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu