Greece, Hellenistic period / 200–100 BCE
Mule-Head Attachment for a Couch
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Mule-Head Attachment for a Couch as sculpture (Greece, Hellenistic period · 200–100 BCE).
The pattern on the panther skin, called a meander, was also extremely popular on Greek pottery.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as bronze.
The museum's collection notes: This bronze attachment in the shape of a mule’s head was once part of a fulcrum (armrest) for a banqueting couch. The mule’s mane flies upward, its mouth open and its ears pushed back against its head. The mule wears an ivy garland and a saddlecloth made from panther skin, two elements associated with the wine god Dionysos.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtMule-Head Attachment for a CouchOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.