Panel with mushhushshu dragon
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Relief of a mushhushshu dragon
Mesopotamia, excavated at Babylon, Ishtar Gate
Neo-Babylonian period, reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (604–562 B.C.)
Molded and glazed brick
Lent by the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin (L.1995.48.1)
Called a mushhushshu, or "furious snake," this fearsome dragon combines the head and scales of a horned viper, the forepaws of a lion, the talons of a bird of prey, and a tail ending in a scorpion’s stinger. Set up on a monumental entrance to the city of Babylon, this and hundreds of other dragons and wild bulls in brightly colored friezes of molded and glazed brick drove away evil and protected the city. Each animal was associated with a powerful god; the dragon symbolized Marduk, Babylon’s city god.
Mesopotamia, excavated at Babylon, Ishtar Gate
Neo-Babylonian period, reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (604–562 B.C.)
Molded and glazed brick
Lent by the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin (L.1995.48.1)
Called a mushhushshu, or "furious snake," this fearsome dragon combines the head and scales of a horned viper, the forepaws of a lion, the talons of a bird of prey, and a tail ending in a scorpion’s stinger. Set up on a monumental entrance to the city of Babylon, this and hundreds of other dragons and wild bulls in brightly colored friezes of molded and glazed brick drove away evil and protected the city. Each animal was associated with a powerful god; the dragon symbolized Marduk, Babylon’s city god.
Artwork Details
- Title: Panel with mushhushshu dragon
- Period: Neo-Babylonian
- Date: ca. 604–562 BCE
- Geography: Mesopotamia, Babylon (modern Hillah)
- Culture: Babylonian
- Medium: Ceramic, glaze
- Dimensions: H. 42 in. (106.7 cm) x W. 65 in. (165.1 cm)
Weight: 482 lbs. - Credit Line: Lent by the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin, VA Bab 4757
- Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art