Sabean Bronze Sculpture of a Bull

The kingdom of Saba is better known as the Biblica Sheba. Biblical accounts speak of the wealth of this ancient civilization of gold traders and merchants, and modern archaeological excavations confirm these reports. This magnificent bronze sculpture of a bull is but one example of the luxurious nature of Sabean art. The bull is one of the more popular animal subjects in the Sabean ouevre. He stands frontally on all four feet on a rectangular stepped base. The head is strongly sculpted, with a raised bone structure between the curved horns. Behind the horns are upright ears, the eyes have heavy brows, the genitals are prominent, and the tail falls straight down. The solid stance is characteristic of the local Sabean style. The bull has been worshipped since the dawn of civilization as a symbol of strength and power. Ancient Israelis worshipped a golden cow before they were converted to monotheism by Moses. Ancient Egyptian mythology and the Hindu religion both hold the bull to be a sacred animal. Zeus was known to take on the guise of a bull. We might wonder what god this bronze bull represents