BRONZE BULL

BRONZE BULL

South Arabian art, 1st century BCE–2nd century CE

A beautiful votive statuette of a bull standing on its legs, with erect ears and curved horns; the hooves, muzzle, and eyes are finely detailed, and the neck is adorned with a collar featuring a bell or pendant.

Beautiful green and brown patina.

Dimensions: 18 x 23.5 cm

Provenance: Former German private collection, acquired in 1985

Christie’s, New York, December 9, 2008: lot 60 (ill.)

David Aaron Ancient Arts, London

Christian Levett Collection, Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, acquired in 2011

Exhibitions: Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (MACM), Mougins, France, June 2011–August 2023 (Inv. No. MMoCA665)

Animal, Mougins Museum of Classical Art (MACM), Mougins, France, February 26–June 19, 2016

Bibliography: Christie’s, Antiquities, New York, December 9, 2008, lot 60

C. Dauphin, Animals in the Ancient World. The Levett Bestiary, Levett Collection Series 2, France, 2014, pp. 62 and 100

C. Dauphin, Animals in the Ancient World. The Levett Bestiary, Levett Collection Series 2, France, 2016, p. 43, fig. 35, and p. 89

A South Arabian bronze bull,

1st century B.C.–2nd century A.D.