Spherical Cage Pinhead or Finial

1 of 3

Artist
Name	Unknown
Basic Info
Period	Iron Age II-III
Created in	Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Iran
Century	10th-7th century BCE
Culture	Iranian
Dimensions	3.5 x 5.9 x 1.7 cm (1 3/8 x 2 5/16 x 11/16 in.)
Harvard Museum
Department	Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics
Division	Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact	am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Context

Crowned by a tip in the shape of a nail head, this openwork globe is formed by 11 diagonally hatched bars. The cage surmounts a round, hollow neck encircled by a raised rib, and it has a flared collar into which a pin shank could have been inserted. 
 
Although it is a bit larger, this object is very similar in form to spherical cage pinheads attributed to Luristan and the region of the Caspian Sea (1). It could have contained pellets that would have rattled when shaken (2). Pendant bells of related form are also attributed to Luristan (3). 
 
NOTES:
 
1. See P. R. S. Moorey, Catalogue of the Ancient Persian Bronzes in the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, 1971) 190-91, nos. 309-10, pl. 49. 
 
2. See O. W. Muscarella, Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, 1988) 279, no. 379. 
 
3. See ibid., 278, no. 378; and N. Spear, Jr., A Treasury of Archaeological Bells (New York, 1978) 83-90, nos. 60-70 and 76-87.
 
Amy Gansell

TechnicalDetails

Chemical Composition

Technical Observations

The patina consists mostly of raised green, blue, and brown (iron rust) corrosion products. Red is visible in several areas as an underlying layer. Areas of wear appear to reveal a well-preserved surface. Most areas are obscured by raised corrosion products. The remains of the iron pin are visible as rust surrounding the hole where the pin shaft was inserted.
 
Asymmetry in the relief of the two sides points to direct forming of the wax model rather than casting it in a mold. There is no visible evidence of cold working on the surface.
 
Henry Lie (submitted 2012)

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Harry J. Denberg