Kneeling bull holding a spouted vessel
Details
- Palette
-
Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- Silver
- Dimensions
- 6 7/16 x 2 1/2 x 4 1/4in. (16.3 x 6.3 x 10.8cm)
- Origin
- Proto-Elamite
- Department
- Ancient West Asian Art
- Holding institution
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Image provider
- metropolitan-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1966
Art Genome Taxonomy
8 tags
Subject Matter
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Animals Both · 99%
A recognizable bull is the central depicted subject, confirmed by the catalog subject term “Bulls.”
Visual Qualities
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Patterns Visual · 98%
Repeated incised angular bands cover much of the bull’s lower body, creating a clearly organized decorative surface.
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Geometric Visual · 94%
The incised ornament consists of repeated angular, rectilinear motifs that contrast with the rounded modeled anatomy.
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Highly Detailed Visual · 90%
The bull’s facial features, horns, ears, limbs, vessel rim, and incised surface decoration are rendered with substantial detail for a small object.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 99%
The museum classifies the work as sculpture, and the image clearly shows a three-dimensional modeled animal-and-vessel object.
Time Periods
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Ancient Art Both · 99%
The catalog dates the work to circa 3100–2900 BCE, and the image shows an ancient small-scale metal sculpture.
Materials
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Silver Metadata · 99%
The museum identifies the medium as silver.
Tableware, Vessels, and Objects
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Vessel Both · 98%
The title identifies a spouted vessel, and the image visibly shows a tall open container integrated with the bull figure.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Kneeling bull holding a spouted vessel. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.