The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 29, 2025

Bull Head Attachment

c. 700–600 BCE
bronze
Overall: 16.6 cm (6 9/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1942.204
Location: 102A Ancient Near East

Did You Know?

Bulls were symbols of power and fertility in many ancient cultures. This bronze bull's head was made in the kingdom of Urartu, which was located in what is Iran today, and was likely attached to the rim of a giant cauldron or cooking pot.

Description

The kingdom of Urartu was contemporary with the Assyrian civilization. The Urartians produced elaborate bronze objects and probably passed on many of their metalwork traditions to the Achaemenian Persians. This bull head was probably one of four placed at cardinal points around the rim of a huge Urartian bronze cauldron.
  • Mrs. Christian R. Holmes
    Mrs. Christian R. Holmes
  • Hollis, Howard. "An Early Persian Bull's Head." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 30, no. 6 (June 1943): 98-99.
     Reproduced: p. 93; Mentioned: p. 98 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 669 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 12 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 12 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 5 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 7 archive.org
  • {{cite web|title=Bull Head Attachment|url=false|author=|year=c. 700–600 BCE|access-date=29 April 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.204