Ibex Standard Finial
Unknown Artist
c. 700–600 BCE
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
13.5 × 9.7 × 1.9 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Seventy-fifth anniversary gift of Clara Taplin Rankin
Accession Number
1992.246
About this artwork
This standard finial, a decorative tube perhaps used as a military emblem, is made of two abstracted ibexes. Their elongated forelegs form a ring where a pole may have once been inserted. An additional horizontal bar extends from their chests to support the ring. The cast bronze ibexes are decorated with ridged horns, curled beards, and twisted tails. Their hind legs join another ring. This standard is likely from Luristan, home to a seminomadic people who created a strong metalworking industry ...