Bull's Head Protoma

Description The flat layer of plaster on the back of this object suggests that it was originally attached to a stela. Bulls were associated with renewal throughout much of South Arabia, and the motif appears frequently on stelae found in cemeteries. The circles of hair around the horns and the triangular patch of hair on the forehead are characteristic attributes of South Arabian bull figures.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
3/30/2008	Treatment	cleaned

Exhibitions

• Faces of Ancient Arabia: The Giraud and Carolyn Foster Collection of South Arabian Art. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2008.

Provenance Sotheby's, London, between 1963 and 1971; Giraud and Carolyn Foster, Baltimore between 1963 and 1971, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2007, by gift.

Credit Gift of Giraud and Carolyn Foster, 2007