At Persepolis, colossal figures guarded the entrances of important buildings in order to protect the structures from evil forces, a practice that was inspired by earlier empire-builders, particularly the Assyrians. This highly polished stone head belonged to a pair of guardian bulls that flanked the portico of the Hundred-Column Hall. The foreparts of the bulls are sculpted in the round; the rest of their bodies were carved in relief on the sidewalls of the sixteen-columned open porch. Characteristic of the Achaemenid court style, the bull’s smooth face is detailed with pronounced veins, sharp-edged eyelids, and tight curls of hair.
Limestone (with modern restoration)
Iran, Persepolis, Hundred-Column Hall, east anta of portico
Achaemenid period, reigns of Xerxes and Artaxerxes I (486–424 BC)
Excavated in 1932–33
Current location: Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum, University of Chicago
by Spiritual-Minute-149
1 Comment
Love that museum