Walking into Gallery 401 of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the student stops dead in his tracks. Looming in front of him are two sculptures of creatures that are part man, part beast. The student notices informational placards by the creatures and steps forward to read them. The placard informs him of the “winged bull and lion… statues [that provide] magical protection from demonic forces.” Also known as lamassu, the “winged bull and lion” are designed to confront visitors, as well as to protect from evil forces. The lamassu at the Met stand approximately ten feet high, a height designed to intimidate palace visitors. Constructed around 883–859 B.C., the sculptures were commissioned by Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud (the ancient city of Kalhu).
…show more content…
Their heads are sculpted in the round, which means that they are three dimensional and attached only to a base, much like the sculptures of ancient Greece and the Sphinxes of Egypt. The bodies however, are high relief, meaning that more than half the mass of the sculpture protrudes from a background, much like the steles and monuments common throughout the ancient Near East. Combining realism and stylized abstraction, the statues have realistic, defined, bodies, but also flattened, abstract wings and hair. Designed to be seen from both the front and side, the lamassu each have five legs. That way, the figures appear to be standing still from the front, but from the side they seem to be walking forward. Additionally, the lamassu have horned caps attesting to their divinity and belts signifying their power. Uniquely, the Met’s lamassu have different bodies. In the ancient world the pair always matched, but the Met displays one bull and one lion. This shows that the statues came from the same palace, but they were not guarding the same entry. The lamassu are covered with intricate carving in the wings and hair, but the most intricate detail is the cuneiform writing covering the background. Written in the dialect of Akkadian, the text is known as “the Standard Inscription,” and it tells of “Ashurnasirpal’s titles, ancestry, and …show more content…
In addition to the Sumerian/Assyrian lamassu and the Hebraic cherubim, similar creatures occur in Greek myths (the Minotaur), Egyptian culture (the Sphinx), Iranian and Egyptian art (the Griffin), and the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh (the Bull Man and the Bull of Heaven). Even though many of these nations fought with each other throughout history, they nevertheless share similar foundations in their art and religion. True, there are many discrepancies between these divine creatures, but they are similar enough to demonstrate links between all these civilizations. The lamassu play a significant role in art and religion, and those two things are intrinsically important in weaving together the narrative of the
Their heads are sculpted in the round, which means that they are three dimensional and attached only to a base, much like the sculptures of ancient Greece and the Sphinxes of Egypt. The bodies however, are high relief, meaning that more than half the mass of the sculpture protrudes from a background, much like the steles and monuments common throughout the ancient Near East. Combining realism and stylized abstraction, the statues have realistic, defined, bodies, but also flattened, abstract wings and hair. Designed to be seen from both the front and side, the lamassu each have five legs. That way, the figures appear to be standing still from the front, but from the side they seem to be walking forward. Additionally, the lamassu have horned caps attesting to their divinity and belts signifying their power. Uniquely, the Met’s lamassu have different bodies. In the ancient world the pair always matched, but the Met displays one bull and one lion. This shows that the statues came from the same palace, but they were not guarding the same entry. The lamassu are covered with intricate carving in the wings and hair, but the most intricate detail is the cuneiform writing covering the background. Written in the dialect of Akkadian, the text is known as “the Standard Inscription,” and it tells of “Ashurnasirpal’s titles, ancestry, and …show more content…
In addition to the Sumerian/Assyrian lamassu and the Hebraic cherubim, similar creatures occur in Greek myths (the Minotaur), Egyptian culture (the Sphinx), Iranian and Egyptian art (the Griffin), and the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh (the Bull Man and the Bull of Heaven). Even though many of these nations fought with each other throughout history, they nevertheless share similar foundations in their art and religion. True, there are many discrepancies between these divine creatures, but they are similar enough to demonstrate links between all these civilizations. The lamassu play a significant role in art and religion, and those two things are intrinsically important in weaving together the narrative of the