Mycenaean
A Mycenaean terracotta bull, circa 1400 - 1200 BC
Terracotta
Height: 6.4 cm; length: 9.1 cm
£ 6,000.00
An ancient Mycenaean painted terracotta standing bull with broad horns, and painted with spirals on the body and head.
An ancient Mycenaean painted terracotta standing bull with broad horns, and painted with spirals on the body and head.
Provenance
Sotheby's, London, 11 - 12 July 1983, lot 544Private collection, USA
Literature
Bulls were an especially important animal in Mycenaean culture. The played an important role in religion, and were regarded as symbols of wealth and status, as well as fertility and strength. Images of bulls permeated every medium in the Mycenaean world, from gold rings to terracotta figurines, from stone seals to frescoes in relief.For a similar example striped example see, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no. 36.11.6.