Ancient Near East, Achaemenid Persian Empire, ca. 500 to 330 BCE. A bronze finial staff, composed of two parts and capped by a hollow bird form that may have once been a bell. The shape of the staff and bird recall the earlier Luristan standards depicting the "Master of Animals," but the animal here is much less abstract. The bird's body is plump, its pose seated, with its trapezoidal tail feathers extended in a fan. The head is curved, with a sharp beak; two bulging eyes project from the sides of the head. Two long, open triangles in the bird's breast may reveal where sound emitted if the bird was indeed a bell. A goblet-shaped projection marks the top of the staff, and an integral peg from the base of the bird's body fits tightly within it. Below that, the thick leg of the staff is twisted into a gentle spiral before broadening into a square shape and terminating in an arch with two flat projections extending from its sides. This item was made to be decorative, perhaps to cap a candelabrum or similar item. Size: 3.25" W x 7.1" H (8.3 cm x 18 cm); 8.25" H (21 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Davis Collection, Houston, Texas, USA

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#132817

Pretty mottled turquoise and dark reddish brown patina; small areas of deep blue patina low on the staff.