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Relief of a protective deity
Near Eastern, Mesopotamian, Assyrian
Neo-Assyrian Period, reign of Ashurnasirpal II
883–859 B.C.
Findspot: Iraq, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu, biblical Calah), Northwest Palace
Medium/Technique
Gypsum
Dimensions
Height x width: 221.7 x 176.3 cm (87 5/16 x 69 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Charles Amos Cummings Fund
Accession Number35.731
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsArchitectural elements – Relief
DescriptionWinged genius (human-apkallu, antediluvian sage) facing left, holding a bucket and cone, fertilizing the "sacred tree." "Standard Inscription" of Ashurnasirpal II across center of slab.
ProvenanceFrom Nimrud (ancient Kalhu, biblical Calah), Northwest Palace. By 1850s: excavated by Sir Henry Layard, obtained from Layard or Sir Henry Rawlinson by Reverend W. F. Williams on behalf of Reverend Sylvester D. Storrs; 1860, presented by Storrs to the Andover-Newton Theological School; 1935: purchased by the MFA from the Andover-Newton Theological School for $10,000.
References:
rev. Saleh Merrill, "Assyrian and Babylonian Monuments in America," Bibliotheca Sacra 32, p. 325, cited by Ardelia B. Hall, "The Ancient Near East: A New Gallery," BMFA 34, p. 10.
References:
rev. Saleh Merrill, "Assyrian and Babylonian Monuments in America," Bibliotheca Sacra 32, p. 325, cited by Ardelia B. Hall, "The Ancient Near East: A New Gallery," BMFA 34, p. 10.