Patera with Fluted Handle and Ram Head Finial

Description

This patera is made from a shallow bronze dish attached to a fluted handle, terminating in a ram’s head. The ram’s head is realistically rendered through careful modeling and a high level of detail. Though the patera looks much like a modern frying pan, in antiquity it would have been used for pouring wine during important rituals.

Provenance

Gillet; Gillet, Switzerland

Patera with Fluted Handle and Ram Head Finial

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500–400 BCE

Accession Number

1981.6

Medium

bronze

Dimensions

Diameter: 24.2 cm (9 1/2 in.); Overall: 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.)

Classification

Metalwork

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund