Art Analysis: The Bearded Bull's Head

Have you heard of the expression ‘don’t grab the bull by the horns’? How about ‘don’t grab the bull by the beard.’? Wait, what? Yes, you read that correctly. In the Early Dynastic Period, about 4,500 years ago, bulls were an animal that symbolized protection and beards were a symbol of certain gods. So, to say that maybe this combination was something that inspired artists back in this time period. Therefore, sculpting the famous Bearded Bull’s Head. The Bearded Bull’s Head is a sculpture made from copper with lapis lazuli and shell inlays. The artist of this interesting piece remains unknown. It was made nine and a half inches long by nine and a sixteenth inches wide, or 23.5 centimeters by 23 centimeters. The sculpture itself is classified

in the ancient art category or Sumerian, and was found near Eastern Mesopotamia. The piece is from 2600-25500 BC, or the Early Dynastic Period, (Handbook of the Collection). In 1952, the St. Louis Art Museum was gifted the Bearded Bull’s Head from the Friends Fund. The Bearded Bull’s Head is one of the most fascinating sculptures in the St. Louis Art Museum for four reasons; how it was created, it’s historical background, how it became a part of the St. Louis Art Museum and the overall meaning of the piece.
The Bearded Bull’s Head is a fascinating sculpture because of how the piece was created.

When a piece of artwork is created, whether it be a painting, sculpture, etc., the material(s) the piece is made out of is called a ‘medium.’ The Bearded Bull’s Head specifically, was made from copper with lapis lazuli and shell inlays. By taking a look at the figure, it is noticed that it is only a head, hence the name as well. The head is accentuated by a stocky muzzle with a curly and wide beard. Thinking about it, putting a beard on a bull would seem very strange. However, the St. Louis Art Museum states that the beard “looks curiously natural,” (Handbook of the Collection). The craftsmanship brought the object to life by the use of the lapis lazuli and shell inlays on the eyes of the bull. Lapis lazuli is a type of bright blue metamorphic rock that are usually used in jewelry. The head of the bull is hollow in the back which gives us proof that this was once part of a copper relief or a larger three-dimensional figure, (Handbook of the Collection, 23). “The eyes strike a bright note, recalling the gaze of an animal that is steadily observing the scene before attacking a victim,” (Favorites from the Museum: Bearded Bull’s Head). This quote proves that the Bearded Bull’s Head is important and a fascinating object in the St. Louis Art Museum because the eyes are obviously something was important to people back then. Usually, all kinds of animals are predators and have their own way of

capturing their prey. The artist used the eyes to portray this in the bull and also shows that it is strong and protective. By also looking at the sculpture, it is seen that it has been broken and repaired throughout the years, but not without some losses of the sculpture. The left horn is perfectly fine but the right horn is missing the top of the tip. One of the curls in the beard is also missing on the left side as well. Looking very closely to the object, there are lots of cracks, narrow openings, and separations on the surface, (TMS, SLAM Database). It is apparent that this sculpture has been through a lot of damage over the years, but still survives which also proves how fascinating the piece is. Not only is the Bearded Bull’s Head interesting for how it’s created, but also what lies behind it.
The Bearded Bull’s Head is a fascinating sculpture because of the history that is behind it.

The ancient culture of Sumeria lasted about three thousand years before Christ came into the picture. There were diggings by the British Museum and University of Pennsylvania that uncovered these great artworks from this time period, (Rathbone, 35). In the Early Dynastic period, the art is based off of worshippers, war, and court life, (Frankfort, 55). This animal sculpture with man features was found at Larsa on the Euphrates River. The Euphrates River is located in lower Mesopotamia, very close in distance to the Tigris River as well. Mesopotamia was of great importance during ancient times, (A New Sumerian Bull’s Head in St. Louis, 2). The place in which this artwork was found was also seemingly interesting. “Found within the city walls was a central mound some 70 feet high: the remains were in a ziggurat or artificial mountain,” (Goldstein, 8). This quote proves that the sculpture is fascinating for the museum because it explains what interesting wonders the piece has traveled to before it came to the current one. The piece also has evidence to be found with artifacts of the royal cemetery at Ur or within a similar range, (Rathbone, 2). Although it is pretty neat knowing the history behind it, it is also important to know how it got to the

museum.
The Bearded Bull’s Head is interesting for another reason, being how it got to the St. Louis Art Museum in the first place. The piece of artwork was given to the museum with the help of an organization called ‘Friends of the City Art Museum’ or the ‘Friends Fund’ in 1952. The group was similar to a membership where members pay certain amounts of money annually to be in the “club” to help support the museum with donations and members receive benefits. The different options to choose from were a Fellow membership for $250, Supporting for $100, Sustaining for $50, Contributing for $25, and Participating for $10. There was also the option of a Life Membership where members would pay one time for $1000, (Rathbone, 23). On April 7, 1952, the St. Louis Art Museum called for a historic event. This was not normal to the people of St. Louis so they figured it must be something important. “Several hundred of the museums most loyal and interested partisans crowded gallery 16 on the occasion to hear the museums important announcement,” (Rathbone, 3). This quote from the Bulletin proves that The Bull’s Head is interesting because so many people from the museum cared about it so much that they had to come see what was going on. The quote also shows how many supporters the museum actually had and no matter what it was, the people were coming to see it. According to the article by Perry T. Rathbone, the event was given an “especial lustre” by the presence of Mr. M. Milliken, who is the Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art and was also the principal speaker at the event. This also proves how special the giving of the Bull’s Head was because Milliken traveled from Cleveland to speak at the event. Finally, with the history, background, and creation of the Bearded Bull’s Head covered, there is also some strong meanings behind the piece.
The Bearded Bull’s Head is a fascinating sculpture because of the meaning behind it. Back in ancient times, certain features or animals often represented other things. Certain clothing, features like wings, hats, fringed clothing, and hairstyles showed what status people served, (Rathbone, 2). It has been proved that there are many different meanings behind the statue, as it represents a couple of different gods. When adding a beard to an element, that shows whatever represented as a god. Since the bull has a curly, wide beard, it represents the sky god named An, (Handbook of the Collection). Another god the bull has been associated with is the storm god, Adad. Adad is often shown riding a bull or a fires pitting griffin. Another feature the storm god holds is that their control of the weather was almost as if a bull was roaring across the sky, (TMS, SLAM Database). The horns on the bull can also represent the moon god who is also referred to as “the young bull of heaven,” (Rathbone, 3). The bull itself, without the beard, can stand for many different meanings. For example, the bull is a symbol of fertility, which was very important back then, and power. It also symbolizes protection and royal might, (Handbook of the Collection). “The expression of beast’s strength abides not only in staring eyes, but in taut ears, flaring nostrils and pugnacious muzzle,” (A New Sumerian Bull’s Head in St. Louis, 2). This quote from the story makes the bull’s meaning important because you can tell that the artist wanted to make all of these details really stand out to the viewer. The bull is obviously supposed to protect the people and not be some ornament on a lyre, which is what most bulls were sculpted for. The article also assumes that bulls guarded temples or palaces and this one in particular was of hieratic position. Another suggests that the bull probably was a guardian for a temple either on the inside or out, (Goldstein, 8).
The Bearded Bull’s Head is one of the most fascinating sculptures in the St. Louis Art Museum for four reasons; how it was created, it’s historical background, how the museum received it, and the overall meaning of the piece. Basically, the Bearded Bull’s Head is a great sculpture from the Early Dynastic Period that represents a powerful guardian. It has been through lots throughout the years but still holds itself together today in the St. Louis Art Museum, given by the great friends, or members, of the museum. It is important that we recognize the information about not only this sculpture, but all pieces of ancient artwork because it helps gives us a better understanding of these times. The Bearded Bull’s Head is something that people now will observe and hopefully be an inspiration for all future generations to come.