HORSE BITE Bronze with green patina Very well preserved 8 x 10 cm Luristan or Bactria, 1000-800 BC Provenance Former French private collection, built up between 1990 and 2000 The animal's body is depicted standing with all four legs firmly planted on a rectangular base. The musculature is soberly suggested, the limbs are slender and articulated, and the hooves are indicated by transverse striations. The horns are the main iconographic feature: long, ringed and decorated with transverse striations evoking natural segments, they curve elegantly backwards and then curve forwards, creating a majestic silhouette. These spectacular appendages, symbols of virility and procreative power, immediately identify the species and its symbolic importance. The spectacular wing rises vertically from the animal's back, extended in a majestic arc. The stylised feathers are rendered in parallel incisions, creating a remarkable effect of volume and texture. This hybridisation - a terrestrial animal with wings - transforms it into a celestial creature, mediating between the terrestrial and divine worlds. On the back, a circular hole allowed the strap or bar of the bit to pass through, a functional element organically integrated into the sculptural composition. The finely modelled head features an elongated muzzle, eyes suggested in relief and erect ears. The bronze has a splendid, stable green patina, with chromatic variations testifying to thousands of years of natural oxidation. Its conservation is remarkable, with complete structural integrity. A Luristan or Bactrian Bronze Horse Bit. c. 1000-800 BCE.