Bronze Winged Feline in the Getty Villa, July 2008

Winged Feline
Unknown
Tartessian, Spain, 700 - 575 B.C.
Bronze
24 x 7 5/8 x 13 in.
79.AC.140

This winged feline originally served as the front leg of a wooden chair or throne. Felines were popular in the art of many Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures. Certain stylistic features of this piece, as well as the manner in which it was made from separate pieces of bronze joined together, suggest that this work was created in Spain, specifically in the kingdom of Tartessos. The form of the feline's brow is a Tartessian characteristic, as is the triangle design in the creature's ear.

Due to its rich mineral resources, Tartessos, on the Atlantic coast outside the Strait of Gibraltar, was an important port on Greek, Phoenician, and Etruscan trade routes in the western Mediterranean. The art of Tartessos displays a combination of native Iberian elements with influences brought by these and traders and colonists.

Text from: www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=9919