Five sculptural fragments from Persepolis

Five sculptural fragments from Persepolis
 
Five monumental sculptural fragments of dark grey limestone from Persepolis, perhaps from a bracket capital. Three fragments carry stylised curls, probably from hair or beard (a, d, e); another carries a twin rounded moulding (c); the last bears the rim of a floral pattern (b).

Unpublished (Ashmolean 1988.393a-e)

Commentary

The original context of these sculptural fragments is uncertain, but their monumental scale suggests that they may come from an elaborate bracket column capital from one of the Persepolis palaces. These column capitals were typically in the form of projecting foreparts of animals (griffins, horned lions, bulls and bull-men) carved in the round. For short discussion and illustrations, see e.g. J. Boardman, Persia and the West (2000) 74-77.