Bull's Head Pendant
| Culture | Greek |
|---|---|
| Title | Bull's Head Pendant |
| Date | 300–200 BCE |
| Medium | Gold |
| Dimensions | Overall: 1 1/2 x 1 in. (3.8 x 2.6 cm) |
| Credit Line | Burton Y. Berry Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 70.105.3 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
Gold bull's head is adorned with a garland of flowers and ivy leaves. Details such as horns, ears, eyes with eyelids, nostrils and wrinkles of skin at the neck are very well executed. The head projects from back oval-shaped back plate.
This head of a young bull, adorned for sacrifice with a flower and ivy-leaf garland, is a remarkably fine example of the skill of Greek goldsmiths. The narrow skull swells outward into the fleshy muzzle. It's stippled surface is very naturalistic, as is the carefully incised swirling pattern of hair over the forehead. The large eyes are bordered above by well-defined lids and sagging skin folds convincingly define the neck.
The small sculpture has been formed from two halves; the back is closed by a oval-shaped plate, framed with beaded wire. A broken spiral tube rises from the top of the neck, perhaps once attached to a loop and chain.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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Cite this page
"Bull's Head Pendant | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=70.105.3