References
Literature:
Richard G. Oman and Robert O. Davis, Images of Faith: Art of the Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1995).
Ox Head
by Unknown
Dated c. 1892
Ox Head
by Unknown
Medium
Carved wood
Dimensions
24 x 24 x 24 in
Date
c. 1892
Citation
Unknown, Ox Head, c. 1892. The Book of Mormon Art Catalog, [URL].
Artist Information
Name: Unknown
Gender: Unknown
Insights
Technique & Style
Carving, Figurative
Animals
ox
Additional Info
Notes
"This ox's head was used as the model for the oxen created and cast in iron for the Salt Lake Temple baptismal font. Although Ralph Ramsey carved several oxen out of wood to serve as models for those cast in iron, it is not known if this is one of those. The oxen on which the font rests represent the twelve tribes of Israel. The font was patterned after the 'molten sea' mentioned in 1 Kings 7:23-26 and 2 Chronicles 4:2-5. Besides their significance in the temple, oxen were also important symbols of pioneering and the gathering of the early Latter-day Saints to Utah."
Current Location
Church History Museum
Church Name
Unknown