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Bronze statuette of a plowing scene

First half of 6th century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 152
This unusual scene depicts a naked man plowing. Two oxen yoked together by the horns walk in opposite directions, possibly representing the turn at the end of the furrow. The statuette likely comes from the area around Smyrna in present-day Turkey, where more than seventy small bronzes of similar workmanship—including eight nearly identical to this one—were discovered before 1850. They were probably votive offerings dedicated to a deity associated with agriculture and fertility, such as the Anatolian goddess Kybele.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bronze statuette of a plowing scene
  • Period: Archaic
  • Date: First half of 6th century BCE
  • Culture: East Greek
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: 2 5/16 × 2 7/8 × 4 13/16 in. (5.9 × 7.3 × 12.2 cm)
  • Classification: Bronzes
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Patricia and Marietta Fried Gift, 2024
  • Object Number: 2024.1
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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