Detail View: The AMICA Library: Vessel with friezes of animals

AMICA ID: 
MMA_.64.257.1a,b
AMICA Library Year: 
2000
Object Type: 
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Creator Nationality: 
Asian; Middle Eastern; Persian
Creator Name-CRT: 
Northwestern Iran
Title: 
Vessel with friezes of animals
View: 
Full View
Creation Date: 
early 1st millennium B.C.
Creation Start Date: 
-33
Creation End Date: 
0
Materials and Techniques: 
Bronze
Classification Term: 
Vessels
Creation Place: 
northwestern Iran
Dimensions: 
H. 13.7 in. (34.8 cm)
AMICA Contributor: 
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: 
New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 
64.257.1a, b
Credit Line: 
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1964
Rights: 
Context: 

Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, was widely used throughout the Near East by the late third millennium B.C. It could be made into many forms by casting, in which molten metal was poured into a mold, or by hammering.

This vessel was formed entirely by hammering two sheets of metal, joined in the middle by bronze rivets. Six registers of birds, trees, and horned and striding animals were hammered up from the vessel's surface in the repoussé technique. The bodies were then elaborately decorated with chased lines created by a dull tool that, when struck, pushed the metal to either side. The chased and repoussé decoration has parallels to ivory plaques from the burned fortress of Hasanlu and to gold and silver vessels from the rich burials at Marlik. The decoration has a striking similarity to Wild Goat-style pottery of eastern Greece, suggesting that Greek potters were familiar with this type of Near Eastern vessel.

Related Image Identifier Link: 
MMA_.an64.257.1a-j.R.tif