Western Asia, Scythian culture, ca. mid-1st millennium BCE. A fabulous stone knife handle, hand-carved with the zoomorphic relief of a bull's head above a stylized image of a fish or petaloid motif. Perforations above the bull's head would have allowed for insertion of the blade. A symbol for virility and fortitude, the bull's head presents dramatic, spiraling horns, large eyes, and a rounded snout with delinated nostrils. Zoomorphic imagery was central to the art of the Scythians whose world was nomadic and pastoral, intimately connected to the lives of animals. Size: 1.4" W x 2.8" H (3.6 cm x 7.1 cm); 3.4" H (8.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection, acquired before 2000

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#179443

Handle only; missing blade with some small remains of tang in insert holes. Chipping with some small losses to lower areas, as well as some nicks and abrasions to surface. Nice preservation of relief imagery.