A LURISTAN BRONZE RAM WHETSTONE FINIAL, CIRCA 1000-650 BC

A LURISTAN BRONZE 'RAM' WHETSTONE FINIAL, CIRCA 1000-650 BC
Finely cast in the form of a recumbent ram, the tubular base is hollowed with two apertures on either side for mounting. The ram naturalistically rendered with a long neck and two large horns which curl around its protruding ears.
Provenance:
Galerie Persepolis, Brussels, exhibited from 28 October to 13 November 1971. Collection Monsieur H., Brussels, acquired from the above. Collection Madame D.T., acquired from the above.
Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age, with wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, and nicks. The sharpening stone lost.
Weight: 93 g (excl. stand) and 164.2 g (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 7.4 cm (excl. stand) and 12.2 cm (incl. stand)
With a modern metal stand. (2)
Luristan bronzes
are small cast and decorated objects from the Early Iron Age (first millennium BC) which have been found in large numbers in Lorestan province and Kermanshah in western Iran. They include a great number of ornaments, tools, weapons, horse fittings, and a smaller number of vessels including situlae and are characterized by a wide range of idiosyncratic forms and a highly stylized conception of human and animal representation. Those from recorded excavations were generally found in burials. The ethnicity of the people who created them remains unclear, though they may well have been Iranian, possibly related to the modern Lur people who have given their name to the area. Luristan bronze objects came to the notice of the world art market from the late 1920s onwards. They were excavated in considerable quantities by local people and are found today in many of the world's most important museums.
Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related Luristan wet stone with a bronze ram finial, dated 1000-800 BC, in the Louvre Museum, accession number AO 20866. Compare a related Luristan wet stone with a bronze ibex finial, dated 1000-800 BC, in the Louvre Museum, accession number AO 20864.