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Master of Animals Cheekpiece
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In this cast bronze cheekpiece, a horned male figure with sidelocks grabs two winged felines by their forelegs. Each feline tramples a rabbit beneath its feet. This design is an ancient Near Eastern motif known as the Master of Animals. Incised chevrons, lines, and crosses decorate the master and the winged felines. A ring penetrating the male figure’s torso provides a means of attachment for a metal horse bit, now missing, and a second cheekpiece, likely nearly identical. This work likely originates from Luristan, a region in northwestern Iran known for its metalworking and horse-breeding in the Iron Age.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineMaster of Animals Cheekpiece, c. 700 BCE. Iran, Luristan. Bronze, cast and incised; overall: 14.9 x 21.3 cm (5 7/8 x 8 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1961.33
