Furniture plaque: lion

ca. 18th century BCE

Not on view

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

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

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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