Iranian finial

Finial made of a hollow tube with openings at both ends for inserting a wooden rod, profusely decorated with a motif known as “Master of Animals”. The upper part shows a male head with a grotesque face and two arms sprouting from its neck, which are firmly gripping two long-necked rampant animals with rooster heads. The animals’ limbs are located below a second grotesque face in the centre of the piece.
This finial, quite a common type in the area of Luristan, was probably part of a standard that symbolised the prestige and honour of a warrior, a family or a group within a community.
The piece entered the museum in 1973 as part of the Martínez Santa-Olalla collection.