Phoenix Ancient Art S.A.

This decorative bronze vessel handle is in an excellent state of preservation. Cast out of heavy bronze using the lost wax method, it is intact and is covered by a smooth, dark brownish-green patina with areas of deeper red. The finely modeled figures of the lions were later cold-worked to sharpen the anatomical details, such as the mane and the features of the muzzle and face.

This handle would have originally connected the neck and shoulder of a hydria, a spouted Greek vessel shape specifically used for carrying and dispensing water, hence the name from the Greek hydros (water). This vertical handle facilitated the pouring of the water from the vessel, while two smaller horizontal handles on either side of the shoulder would have been used to lower the hydria into the well. A smooth, curved surface for easier attachment to the vase can be seen on the back of the handle.

The base of the handle terminates in a large palmette flanked by two reclining lions symmetrically positioned one on either side. The gently rounded curves of the palmette, which spiral off diagonally from the central axis, sprout from a base that is finely incised with cross-hatching. The two lions are nearly identical and display the robust, slightly stylized modeling that is a hallmark of Archaic Greek art. Their slender bodies are stretched out with their hindquarters drawn in and their forelegs extended, their bellies to the ground. The forepaws are overlarge and display an impressive volume, as do the massive heads. In contrast to the linear orientation of the body, the heads are turned to confront the observer with their strong gaze. The heads are characterized by circular forms (ears, eyes, mane and muzzle), and the details of the mane and the whisker pads have been incised in short strokes. The tails curve onto the vertical handle and are held erect, ending in tufts that show the fur finely incised. This position, along with the erectness of the head and ears and the prominent modeling of the eyes in their almond-shaped sockets, give these two lions an air of ferocity and alertness.

The thick vertical handle is of elliptical cross-section with ribs running down its legth, two of which have short diagonal incisions running down their length to create a variation in texture, At its apex, the upper pair of lions - again nearly identical to the bottowm two and symmetrically posed perpendicular to the handle on either side of a small projection that separates them - seem to look down on the observer in the same manner that the bottom two look up: their heads are oriented straight ahead, and this, coupled with their smaller, less prominent ears and relaxed tails give a gentler, more docile impression.

The corpus of Greek bronze vessels with modeled handles is quite large, having come into fashion during the Archaic period and continuing well into Classical and Hellenistic times. The closest parallels to this particular handle are Laconian in origin, displaying the same vigorous and somewhat stylized modeling as our piece. With Sparta as its capital, Laconia was home to a number of major bronze workshops that rose to artistic prominence during the Archaic Period. Influenced by contemporary Attic works, Laconian bronzesmiths were able to achieve very high levels of craftsmanship, as evidenced in this handle, which would have undoubtedly belonged to a very large and ornate vessel from a wealthy and/or high-ranking household - one notes the heaviness of the handle and how much bronze would have been needed to cast such a piece, marking its status as a luxury good.

A very close parallel, especially in the treatment of the lions, can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1989.11.1).

For the parallel in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, see:

STIBBE C., Sons of Hephaistos: Aspects of the Archaic Greek Bronze Industry, Rome, 2000, pp. 111-115, fig. 68-70.

On Archaic bronze handles in general, see:

KENT HILL D., A Class of Bronze Handles of the Archaic and Classical Periods in American Journal of Archaeology 62, 1958, pp. 193-201.

ROLLEY, C. Greek Bronzes, London, 1986, pp. 142-144.