A LURISTAN BRONZE ´DOUBLE MASK´ FINIAL, IRAN, c. 8TH CENTURY BCAncient Persia, ca. 8th–7th century BC. Finely cast in the form of a cylinder, one end with a pair of Janus-masks, the other with a pair of zoomorphic masks. With a modern metal stand. Condition: Very good age-related condition with wear, signs of weathering and corrosion. Naturally grown patina overall with areas of malachite green. Provenance: Old French collection, acquired before 1945. Weight: 67 g (excl. stand, 145 g (incl. stand) Dimensions: Length 9 cmLiterature comparison: For a related Luristan tube see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number: 30.97.10.Luristan bronzes are small cast and decorated objects from the Early Iron Age (first millennium BC) which have been found in the Lorestan province and Kermanshah in Western Iran. They include a great number of ornaments, tools, weapons, horse fittings, and a smaller number of vessels including situlae and are characterized by a wide range of idiosyncratic forms and a highly stylized conception of human and animal representation. Those from recorded excavations were generally found in burials. The ethnicity of the people who created them remains unclear, though they may well have been Iranian, possibly related to the modern Lur people who have given their name to the area. Luristan bronze objects came to the notice of the world art market from the late 1920s onwards. They were excavated in considerable quantities by local people and are found today in many of the world’s most important museums.