Furniture plaque: lion
This plaque in the shape of a seated lion belongs to a group of carved ivories, mostly furniture elements, probably found at the site of a palace at Acemhöyük in central Anatolia. It closely resembles another plaque in the same group which is also in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection (36.152.5). The mane is shown in the form of individual tufts, each ending in an upturned curl, with a row of smaller locks separating it from the face. The mouth is open in a roar, showing numerous teeth. An inlay originally fit into the eye socket, but is now missing. The overall gray color indicates that the object was exposed to considerable heat, perhaps during the destruction of the palace.
Artwork Details
- Title: Furniture plaque: lion
- Period: Middle Bronze Age–Old Assyrian Trading Colony
- Date: ca. 18th century BCE
- Geography: Anatolia, probably from Acemhöyük
- Culture: Old Assyrian Trading Colony
- Medium: Ivory (hippopotamus)
- Dimensions: 2.87 x 1.38 in. (7.29 x 3.51 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of George D. Pratt, 1932
- Object Number: 32.161.48
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art
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