Cup with a pastoral scene

Product Description

The vase is impressive, particularly because of the thickness of its walls and its weight.
The vessel, made of copper cast in a mould, has no handles: its profile is truncated conical and very linear. It rests on a small, solid triangular foot.
The decoration, in very shallow relief, covers the entire available surface. Three bulls, recognisable by the shape of their horns, stand facing to the right of the viewer. Despite the wear and tear, one can still make out a few anatomical details that once enriched the bodies of the quadrupeds (nostrils, eyes, chest, etc.). There are no features to characterise the landscape: the background of the scene is flat and smooth.
The ground line is marked by the slightly raised surface of the lower part of the vase.

Stylistically, the artist has chosen a very distinctive way of depicting his subject: the animals’ bodies are rendered in very shallow relief, whilst their heads are almost in the round and stand out clearly from the background of the vase (it is possible that they were modelled separately and then welded onto the surface).
There are very few metal examples of this type of vessel, whereas stone examples are more common and varied (in terms of size, subject matter and type of stone). The bowl under consideration was perhaps a precious vessel that belonged to a temple treasury and was used for the performance of certain rites or sacrifices; or it may have been a votive offering made by a worshipper seeking the protection of a deity.

Additional information