Locket with Assyrian human-headed winged lion
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.
The face of this locket shows a winged human-headed lion. Colossal lion and bull statues of this type were placed at key gateways in Assyrian palaces. Some were shipped to London and Paris, becoming popular icons of the Assyrian excavations. The interior contains a glass-covered compartment for keepsakes, now empty.
The face of this locket shows a winged human-headed lion. Colossal lion and bull statues of this type were placed at key gateways in Assyrian palaces. Some were shipped to London and Paris, becoming popular icons of the Assyrian excavations. The interior contains a glass-covered compartment for keepsakes, now empty.
Artwork Details
- Title: Locket with Assyrian human-headed winged lion
- Period: Victorian
- Date: second half of 19th century
- Culture: British
- Medium: Silver, glass
- Dimensions: H. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm)
- Credit Line: Henrietta and Christopher McCall Collection, Purchase, Bequest of Henrie Jo Barth, and Museum Acquisitions and Josephine Lois Berger-Nadler Endowment Funds, 2023
- Object Number: 2023.682
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art
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ca. 4th century BCE
Iran
ca. 7th–6th century BCE
Urartian
ca. 8th–7th century BCE
Scythian
ca. 5th century BCE
Assyrian
ca. 9th–8th century BCE
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