Two fulcra (headrest) attachments in the form of mule's heads

Art Historical Context

These charming bronze attachments, shaped as mule heads, served as fulcra—curved headrest supports—for ancient Greek couches known as *klinai*. Dating to the Hellenistic period (ca. late 3rd–1st century BCE), they reflect the era's blend of everyday utility and artistic flair. Hellenistic art, flourishing after Alexander the Great's conquests, emphasized naturalism and emotional expressiveness, moving beyond the idealized forms of Classical Greece. Mules, sturdy pack animals essential for trade and travel across the expanding Hellenistic world, were cleverly immortalized here, perhaps evoking ...