MWW Artwork of the Day (8/6/25) Achaemenid Period (6th-4th century BCE) Winged Ibex resting on head of Silenus (5th c. BCE) Partly gilt silver vase handle, 27 x 15 x 10 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris
This handle in the form of a winged ibex would have belonged to a metal vessel, forming its principal decoration along with another ibex symmetrically placed opposite it. The ibex stands on its hind legs, its forelegs drawn in and its wings outspread, as though captured on the point of leaping. The head, presented in three-quarter view, is surmounted by very large ringed horns, and some anatomical details are picked out in gilt. The hind legs rest on the head of a bearded old man with long ears, coiffed with a row of palmettes.
















