Object Description
A rare bronze Near Eastern plaque decorated in the repoussé technique, detailing huntsmen on horses, winged beasts and animals.
The plaque features a central scene, surrounded mostly with riders on horses. Each rider is shown holding a round shield and a quiver of arrows on his back, highlighting them as warriors. Their horses advance forward, with the left foreleg extended to depict motion. To the right of the central scene, a horned animal, most likely an ibex can also be seen. The central motif showcases a winged human-headed bull, flanking a pomegranate tree, or tree of life. The base and central scene are framed with a repousse leaf motif.
The upper left corner of the plaque is now missing, curtailing some of the detail however the overall craftsmanship is exquisite. The reverse remains undetailed.
It is hard to say exactly what such a piece was intended for. Rivets along the base however ascertain that the piece was intended to be attached to something and bears resemblance to quiver pieces found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The scene depicted also lends weight to this argument, riders with bows and arrows being the dominant decorative feature, as they form their ceremonial procession. It is easy to see how such a scene would have been used to decorate the quiver of a warrior.
Date: Circa 9th – 7th century BC