SILVER WINGED BULL HANDLE
SILVER WINGED BULL HANDLE
Achaemenid art, early 4th century B.C.
A curved handle, likely from an amphora, depicting a winged bull rearing on its hind legs, with its forelegs tucked under its abdomen; the details are very finely chiseled. The base of the handle, which was once attached to the body of the vase, forms a bovine hoof.
Height: 10.3 cm
Provenance: Former French private collection, assembled in the 1970s
Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, May 26, 2011: lot 214 (ill.)
Christian Levett Collection, Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins
Exhibitions: Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (MACM), Mougins, France, June 2011–August 2023 (Inv. No. MMoCA744)
Animal, Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (MACM), Mougins, France, February 26–June 19, 2016
Dragons and Mythical Creatures, Draguignan Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions, Draguignan, France, May 16–August 31, 2025
Bibliography: Pierre Bergé & Associés, Archaeology, Paris, May 26, 2011, lot 214
C. Dauphin, Animals in the Ancient World. The Levett Bestiary, Levett Collection Series 2, France, 2014, pp. 46 and 90
C. Dauphin, Animals in the Ancient World. The Levett Bestiary, Levett Collection Series 2, France, 2016, p. 23, fig. 20, and p. 80
A Silver Achaemenid handle in the form of a winged bull,
Early 4th century B.C.
SILVER WINGED BULL HANDLE
Achaemenid art, early 4th century B.C.
A curved handle, likely from an amphora, depicting a winged bull rearing on its hind legs, with its forelegs tucked under its abdomen; the details are very finely chiseled. The base of the handle, which was once attached to the body of the vase, forms a bovine hoof.
Height: 10.3 cm
Provenance: Former French private collection, assembled in the 1970s
Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, May 26, 2011: lot 214 (ill.)
Christian Levett Collection, Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins
Exhibitions: Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (MACM), Mougins, France, June 2011–August 2023 (Inv. No. MMoCA744)
Animal, Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins (MACM), Mougins, France, February 26–June 19, 2016
Dragons and Mythical Creatures, Draguignan Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions, Draguignan, France, May 16–August 31, 2025
Bibliography: Pierre Bergé & Associés, Archaeology, Paris, May 26, 2011, lot 214
C. Dauphin, Animals in the Ancient World. The Levett Bestiary, Levett Collection Series 2, France, 2014, pp. 46 and 90
C. Dauphin, Animals in the Ancient World. The Levett Bestiary, Levett Collection Series 2, France, 2016, p. 23, fig. 20, and p. 80
A Silver Achaemenid handle in the form of a winged bull,
Early 4th century B.C.
