Key with a Handle in the Form of a Dog in the Getty Villa, June 2016

Title: Key with Handle in the Form of a Dog

Artist/Maker: Unknown

Date: 1st century A.D.

Medium: Bronze (handle) and iron

Dimensions: 10.9 cm (4 5/16 in.)

Culture: Roman

Object Number: 96.AC.307

Credit Line: Gift of Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman

Alternate Titles: Key with a Dog-Shaped Handle (Alternate Title)

Department: Antiquities

Classification: Implement

Object Type: Key

The handle of this key is solid cast in the shape of a recumbent dog whose head rests on his large paws. The collar shows that it is a pet, as does the docile expression. The figure of the dog, rendered with wavy lines to suggest its fur, terminates in a calyx of leaves and a beaded border. Only a small portion of the iron bit remains.


Text from: www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/10409M