Ornament in the shape of a ram's head
This gold applique is in the form of a ram’s head, facing to the left. The ram’s nostrils, mouth, eyes, chin hair and ears are incised, and its neck is decorated with granulation. A short horn rises from the top of its head and curves forward. The back side of the applique has two loops for attaching it to fabric.
This applique was made by hammering a single sheet of gold and adding controlled drops of molten gold to the neck to form the granulation. It would have been attached originally to clothing, along with many other similar appliques. Goats, specifically wild mountain goats, were an important aspect of ancient Persian iconography. Unlike Mesopotamia, which is flat, Iran has many mountains, and mountain goats, with their distinctive curved horns, became important markers of Iranian identity, even before the region came to be known as ‘Iran.’
This applique was made by hammering a single sheet of gold and adding controlled drops of molten gold to the neck to form the granulation. It would have been attached originally to clothing, along with many other similar appliques. Goats, specifically wild mountain goats, were an important aspect of ancient Persian iconography. Unlike Mesopotamia, which is flat, Iran has many mountains, and mountain goats, with their distinctive curved horns, became important markers of Iranian identity, even before the region came to be known as ‘Iran.’
Artwork Details
- Title: Ornament in the shape of a ram's head
- Period: Achaemenid
- Date: ca. 6th–4th century BCE
- Geography: Iran
- Culture: Achaemenid
- Medium: Gold
- Dimensions: 0.62 x 0.87 in. (1.57 x 2.21 cm)
- Credit Line: Purchase, Mrs. Vladimir S. Littauer Gift, 1977
- Object Number: 1977.211
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art
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Achaemenid
ca. 5th century BCE
Achaemenid
ca. 6th–4th century BCE
Iran
ca. early 1st millennium BCE
Iran
ca. 7th–6th century BCE
Iran
ca. 10th–8th century BCE
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