EARLY DYNASTIC III, CIRCA 2550-2250 B.C.

This exquisite gold pendant is solid cast and is distinguished by its fine and detailed workmanship. The bull was considered the embodiment of strength and fertility and was a popular motif in Mesopotamian art. The eyes and triangular-shaped indentation on the forehead would have once been inlaid. Although the significance of the now-missing triangular inlay on the forehead is unknown, it emphasises the numinous character of the bull and most likely had a particular meaning beyond its use as a decorative element.
The very high quality workmanship suggests that this pendant may have been commissioned or owned by a royal patron. For a similar bull in copper-alloy, cf. acc. no. VA 3142 in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Vorderasiatisches Museum and for a bull fitting with a triangular inlay on the forehead, see no. 95 in Aruz, ed., Art of the First Cities, The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus.