Pendant with a kneeling male

Unknown

ca. 8th–7th century BCE · Bronze · Ancient Near Eastern Art

This thin bronze sheet features a male figure in repousse facing forward. He has bulging eyes, pointed ears and a beard. No other details of his body are shown. One attenuated leg with bent knee is depicted; it is unclear whether the figure is meant to be seated or kneeling, since the bottom of the sheet is missing. The figure holds palm fronds in each hand. There are rosettes (or some other floral element) in the background. There is a rolled loop at the top of the sheet, indicating that it is a pendant. This pendant 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. The figure on the pendant has been interpreted as a fertility god.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 8th–7th century BCE

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Iran

Department

Ancient Near Eastern Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1943