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Source Description
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.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
136839
label
Master of Animals Cheekpiece
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
136839
contentType
object
title
Master of Animals Cheekpiece
description
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.
date
c. 700 BCE
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60748806
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 14.9 x 21.3 cm (5 7/8 x 8 3/8 in.)
cul
Iran, Luristan
accession
1961.33
Source extras
tec
bronze, cast and incised
tombstone
Master 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
collection
Near Eastern Art
didYouKnow
The Master of Animals may represent a god of nature or the hunt.
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 11
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 11
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 4
citation
Kathman, Barbara A. <em>A Cleveland Bestiary</em>. Cleveland, OH; Cleveland Museum of Art, 1981.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 19; Mentioned: p. 16, p. 60
citation
Ratti, Antonio. “The Mystery of the Luristan Bronzes Still Puzzles Archaeologists.” <em>National Geographic</em>. January 7, 2022.
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:59:01.191000
sourceId
136839
dept
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
coll
Near Eastern Art
med
bronze, cast and incised
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
fe6791bd418d591e