 |
|
Human-Headed Winged Lion(lamassu); Neo-Assyrian
period, reign of Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883–859 B.C.)
Mesopotamia; excavated at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu)
Alabaster (gypsum)
Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1932 (32.143.2)
"Beasts of the
mountains and the seas, which I had fashioned out of white limestone
and alabaster, I had set up in its gates. I made [the palace] fittingly
imposing" (from the Standard Inscription
of Ashurnasirpal II).
Lamassi were guardian beings that combined the powerful aspects
of humans, birds of prey, and bulls or lions. Pairs of lamassi—either
human-headed winged bulls or lions—protected and supported important
doorways in Assyrian palaces. The horned headdress attests to their
divinity, and the belt signifies their power. Assyrian sculptors gave
these guardian figures five legs so that the animal stands firmly
in place when viewed from the front, but appears to stride forward
when seen from the side. The Standard
Inscription of Ashurnasirpal II is incised in the area between
the legs of the figure.
Enlarge image.
Learn more about the Standard Inscription.
|
|
