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Lot Essay
PUBLISHED:
The Art of Ancient Cyprus, pp. 190-196, pl. 219.
The bull, introduced to Cyprus in the Early Bronze Age, became widely used as a symbol of power, strength and potency, much as the deer had been for centuries before. This bowl is unique in displaying both types of early bull motif, the Standing bull type and the Bucranial terminal. It therefore provides important evidence that bucranial terminals were not simply schematic simplifications of bulls but specifically displayed bulls' heads which had apotropaic and protective functions. The bull's distinctive feature is his horns and the practice of attaching bucrania or simply bulls' horns to a building or to a high post in order to protect its inhabitants or associated crops and livestock, has been widespread from Neolithic times to the present day, particularly in the Mediterranean.
The Art of Ancient Cyprus, pp. 190-196, pl. 219.
The bull, introduced to Cyprus in the Early Bronze Age, became widely used as a symbol of power, strength and potency, much as the deer had been for centuries before. This bowl is unique in displaying both types of early bull motif, the Standing bull type and the Bucranial terminal. It therefore provides important evidence that bucranial terminals were not simply schematic simplifications of bulls but specifically displayed bulls' heads which had apotropaic and protective functions. The bull's distinctive feature is his horns and the practice of attaching bucrania or simply bulls' horns to a building or to a high post in order to protect its inhabitants or associated crops and livestock, has been widespread from Neolithic times to the present day, particularly in the Mediterranean.