Jug with Assyrian-inspired decoration

Following the excavation of Assyrian palaces in the mid-nineteenth century, ancient Mesopotamian imagery began to be used in European decorative arts, including jewelry and ceramics. Publicity in the form of news coverage and popular books around the excavations, removal of many sculptures from sites in northern Iraq to England and France, and public spectacles such as the reconstructed ‘Nineveh Court’ in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, London, fostered a fascination with Assyria and Assyrian art among the Victorian public.

Decorative ceramics were an affordable luxury, and the appearance of multiple designs incorporating Assyrian details in the mid-nineteenth century reflects the popular impact of the discoveries. Doulton Lambeth, based in Lambeth, London, produced ceramics in popular contemporary styles and finishes, in this case glazed stoneware, and gave artists and designers an unusual degree of freedom to develop varied elaborate decoration. The result was a huge range of unique designs, including many that incorporated a variety of ancient iconography. In this case, the design combines elements from a royal lion hunt and military scenes, mainly of Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883-859 BCE), with armored soldiers taking the king’s place in the hunting chariot and an enemy soldier being beheaded. The placement of dead bodies high in the picture field, along with a vulture carrying entrails, is based on elements in the reliefs themselves. A fruiting date palm tree, pictured near the handle, is drawn from images of Assyrian campaigns in Babylonia, southern Iraq. Above the main field, the dark green glazed area around the neck of the jug features kneeling winged bulls flanking a palmette. These are taken from miniature incised designs seen on the clothing of the king in the reliefs. In its ancient setting, the palmette in the composition acted as a ‘sacred tree’ probably representing the abundance of Assyria.