Whetstone Finial
10th-8th century BCE
Description
This whetstone finial is in the shape of the head, neck, and foreparts of an ibex mounted on a cylindrical socket. The ibex has curving horns, with four raised bumps on the exterior side of each, that curve back to connect to the neck. Its pointed, leaf-shaped ears are separated from the head. Its eyes are represented by a large raised circle with a slightly smaller raised circle for the pupil. Its rod-like beard connects to the neck; there is a concavity under the chin behind the beard. Molded forelimbs are disproportionately small, spindly, and integral to the cast of the socket. The socket flares slightly toward the end, which has a raised band. There is a circular hole on either side near the end (not well preserved on one due to chipping) for attachment to the whetstone itself.
Dimensions
8.6 x 7.8 x 2.2 cm (3 3/8 x 3 1/16 x 7/8 in.)
Provenance
Philip Hofer, Cambridge, MA, (by 1956), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1956.
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