Brass face - who is this?

I rarely clean the metals I find, but this one had issues (glops of tar and other junk) on the background around the face so I polished that off but left the face and back surface untouched. Fairly old based on the tarnish on the back, but what do you think? Hanger makes it a decorative piece to hang up? Not the typical middle-eastern style I see from India, Egypt, Morocco, etc so where do you think it is from? And who is this - mythology?

 

On the thread about the baffling prie dieu, q.v., 2 suggestions for the decoration came up: the Green Man & the North Wind. It also looks like the Renaissance idea of what a lion looked like. Will leave you to do the Googling.

 

I was thinking the Green Man or the North Wind as well. Doesn't look Middle Eastern, Egyptian or Indian to me.

 

Definitely stylized lion face, nothing more, nothing less. I suspect it is bronze vice brass due to smoothness and detail of image. Brass doesn’t usually cast that well so is seldom used for art casting.

 

I was thinking a Greek god like Zeus - no? Looks like he has a mustache?

 

This looks hand hammered not cast.

 

You may be right, I didn’t notice how thin it is, and if hammered, can’t be bronze, too brittle.

 

I agree about not looking like its not from the typical places which is the hardest part for me to figure.

 

I think it is a Western craft piece, could have been made in the US, Europe, etc.

 

Certainly possible, the only reason it doesn't look like a craft piece to me, is the hanger which looks professionally done and attached.

 

I also think it looks like Zeus