Reclining mouflon
Unknown Artist
ca. 2600–1900 BCE
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
L. 28 cm
Classification
Stone-Sculpture
Culture & Period
Indus · Mature Harappan
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Anonymous Gift and Rogers Fund, 1978
Accession Number
1978.58
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Reclining Mouflon*, a delicate marble sculpture from the Mature Harappan period of the Indus Valley Civilization (ca. 2600–1900 BCE). Carved from a single block of marble, this 28 cm long figurine captures a wild sheep in a serene, reclining pose, evoking the natural world that sustained one of the world's earliest urban societies in present-day Pakistan and northwest India. Discovered among artifacts of this flourishing culture, known for its advanced cities like Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, the piece reflects the Harappans' mastery of stone carving during their mature phase. Marble...