Elamite dog figurine from Susa
Price: on request
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Object number
AR2284
| Object: |
Elamite dog figurine from Susa
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| Material: |
Silver or silver alloy.
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| Period: |
Around the 3rd Millenium BC. Various dates within different elamite periods are brought forward for these figurines. This wide range only illustrates how little we know about this early civilization. |
| Description: |
Elamite dog figurine wearing a notched collar, with ears alert and raised. Prominent display of the tightly coiled tail. The dog was a holy animal in Elam and was associated with Gula, the goddess of healing. |
| Background: |
The Elamite culture was centered in the southwest of modern-day Iran. The nature of the political cohesion between the cultural centers within the region is not entirely clear. Local archaeological finds ranging from the 4th to 1st Millenium BC are called elamite and display more or less cultural continuity. There are also literary sources, such as references to Elam in the Old Testament and on numerous cuneiform tablets. But it proves difficult to relate the archaeological record to the picture drawn by written accounts. Elam still holds many secrets.
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| Dimensions: |
Approx. 42mm length.
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| Condition: |
Front legs broken off and missing. Lower part of the left rear leg and tail broken in several places and re-attached. Left ear restored. Presented on a modern acrylic base. Despite or maybe because of the damage over time the figurine has a nice overall appearance and character.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2017 from the private posession of M. Voos, Germany. Inherited by M. Voos from the German private collection H. Herbst. Acquired in 1978 at Davies Antiques, London for the Herbst collection and brought to Germany (a copy of the original invoice is available). The description on the invoice mentions the elamite city of Susa, which is the find spot.
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| References: |
Cf. A. P. Kozloff, Animals in Ancient Art from the Leo Mildenberg Collection, p. 19, no. 3. Cf. an elamite dog figurine at the Louvre, room 232, display case 3, dated to the late 4th Millenium BC. The Louvre is referring to Duval Alain-René, Eluère Christiane, Hurtel Loïc, Tallon Françoise, "La Pendeloque au chien de Suse. Étude en laboratoire d'une brasure antique", in Revue du Louvre, 1987, n 3, pp. 176-179. Cf. Christie's London South Kensington, Sale 7207, lot 2 (very similar figurine made of gold and sold for GBP 6875). |
| Literature: |
D. T. Potts, The Archaeology of Elam, formation and transformation of an ancient Iranian state, Cambridge (1999).
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| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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