Elam was an ancient kingdom of Asia, situated north of the Persian Gulf and east of the Tigris River, and corresponding approximately to the present-day province of Khuzistan in Iran. The capital of Elam and its most fabled city was Sûsa, today the city of Shûsh. This powerful empire has been overshadowed in history by the rival kingdoms of Babylon and Assyria. However, their extraordinary metalwork survives to this day, a testament to the expertise of their craftsman.

Bulls have long been regarded as a sacred creature, a symbol for fierce strength and potency. In ancient Egypt, the Apis was a bull considered to be the divine reincarnation of the gods Osiris or Ptah. Jupiter took the form of a bull when he abducted Europa. Even today children are born under the astrological sign of Taurus and matadors continue to test their bravery in bullfights. The Old Testament tells the story of Moses smashing the Ten Commandments. After God spoke to him on Mt. Sinai, Moses returned to discover the Israelites worshipping the false idol of a golden calf. Presumably, this statue of a bull is such an idol. Forged from bronze, a metal that during the time of its creation was more valuable than gold, this extraordinary work predates the time of Moses. The stories of the Bible were a direct reaction against the polytheistic, pagan beliefs represented by this statue. Most likely, given its diminutive nature, this bull was a household object to be worshipped in private. Its survival is in itself remarkable. How many countless such icons were destroyed or melted down for their precious metals? This masterpiece is a relic from one of the most revolutionary epochs in history, a reminder of the pagan beliefs our modern monotheistic theologies reacted against. No longer will false gods like this bull be idolized, for a new path towards enlightenment had been discovered.