Dignitary Or Deity Riding A Sacred Bull, Syro-anatolian Area

Dignitary or deity riding a sacred bull, Syro-Anatolian region, Middle Bronze Age – Late Bronze Age, 2nd millennium BC. Votive figure of great sculptural intensity representing a crowned figure with pierced circular eyes, firmly planted on the back of a stylized sacred bull whose horns he grasps in a gesture of ritual mastery. The dense modeling of the torso and the fusion of the legs with the animal's body create a compact and monumental composition despite its small size. The frontal and hieratic pose reinforces the impression of contained power, while the bull, with its compact volumes, evokes the cosmic force characteristic of Anatolian Bronze Age iconography. Orange-beige terracotta, signs of age, good overall condition, see photos. Syro-Anatolian region, Southeast Anatolia. Middle Bronze Age – Late Bronze Age, around the 2nd millennium BC. J.-C. Dimensions: 8.5 × 8.5 cm. Provenance: Formerly in the collection of Professor Morel, Paris; Origine Auction sale, Bagnolet, December 16, 2016, lot 206 in the catalogue. Sold with a certificate from the expert. Reynes and invoice from the Ocarina Gallery.*SHIPPING COSTS UPON QUOTE VIA DHL CARRIER "In the Hittite and Anatolian religious universe, the bull embodies the earthly manifestation of the great storm deities — Tarḫunna, Teshub or Hadad — celestial powers linked to fertility and cosmic order. Representations associating a dignitary with this sacred animal reflect a rare iconography where human authority merges with divine energy. The sculptural compactness of this example, combined with the hieratic frontality of the figure, makes it a particularly expressive votive image, revealing the beliefs of the 2nd millennium BC and the central role of the bull in the Anatolian religious imagination."