Correspondence between Schaeffer and Hundt on the objects from EnkomiClaude Frédéric-Armand Schaeffer and H.-J. Hundt

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… holes, as we know precisely from the radiographs, quite narrow. Whether the wheels could turn on the axles is hard to say. The carts of the period probably had fixed wheels on the rotating axles. I recently re-examined the cast wagon wheels for the Festschrift Speyer. The interior of the hubs of all these heavy wheels never shows any wear from friction.The wheels must therefore have been fixed on the axles. This certainly applies to these wheels, influenced by the Mediterranean area. It is doubtful, however, whether one may simply transfer this. An Etruscan model cart of bronze in the Villa Giulia has rotating wheels. Perhaps one should look to Asia Minor to find comparable examples. Can one actually in the depictions of the migrating attacking peoples who at that time attacked Egypt, not see whether the axles of the disc wheels had linch-pins. If this were the case, the wheels would turn on the axles. On the evidence, a decision is not possible.

Now to your questions regarding the posture of the man. He is placed on the rear crossbar and strides, with the right foot forward. To give him support, the upright post at this point is therefore widened forward and backward somewhat. The right arm is missing completely, from the joint on. No conclusion is therefore possible regarding the posture of the missing arm. The left arm is bent, the hand placed on the hip. In this arm, resting on the hand, a loop of rope hangs down. From the hand the twisted rope runs to the left side of the muzzle of the bull. No ring is discernible. With good will one could make out above the nose a small transverse bulge. Whether this, if it really was bronze and not a chance oxide formation, perhaps is meant to be a strap running around the muzzle, is more than doubtful. You know what the fragments look like before they are assembled together. That the rope leads laterally to the muzzle, in my view, does not signify much. Even if a nose ring were intended, the caster certainly would not have let the thick rope hang directly down from the nose because that would have spoiled the outline. I am sorry that one cannot say more, but there are simply absolutely no clear points of reference.

With warm greetings

Yours very devotedly

(C.F.A. Schaeffer) [handwritten: signature]

Handwritten, top left margin, vertical: "2.5.5 part?"

Handwritten, left margin: "cf. Tranche ... Donn..."

Handwritten: Dear Herr Hundt, many thanks for your letter and your technical opinions. I shall answer your questions very soon... ...literature ... ...have Hahn... cult bracket ... of... Freiheit 68 (Hk Ri.)... ...show without a model ... so I would like to ask whether a model of the 4 pigs... Museum ... at what price ... Louvre ... head ... could acquire ... understand ...

Handwritten, bottom left: "ab 5.III."