Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Unusual Artifact: The Two-Headed Chimera Tap, 16th C.



Bronze Tap in the Shape of a Chimera
Italian, Sixteenth Century
The Victoria & Albert Museum



This bronze tap was crafted in the late Sixteenth Century in Italy and takes the form of a two-headed dragon of chimera in full relief. 

Grotesque figures often graced Italian flask or barrel taps like this one which were used to siphon liquids. This example, being of bronze, and sculpted so intricately would have been devoted to a special purpose in a very wealthy household. 




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