Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), northern Iraq Neo-Assyrian, about 883-859 BC:
This is the Colossal statue of a winged human-headed bull from the Palace of Ashurnasirpal:
It's one of a pair of guardian figures set up in the palace of Ashurnasirpal. Its partner is now in the British museum, London
(we've been there too and the blog post is here with the same writeup as this one.
Stone sculptures of mythological figures were placed as guardians at gateways to palaces and temples in ancient Mesopotamia. These figures were known to the Assyrians as lamassu. The figure has five legs, when viewed from the front it stands firm, while when viewed from the side it appears to be striding forward to combat evil.
The 'Standard Inscription' is inscribed between the figure's legs. It records the King's titles, ancestry and achievements.
These composite creatures combined the strength of the lion (or in this case, the bull), the swiftness of birds, and the intelligence of the human head. The helmet with horns indicates the creature's divinity.
Wall panel from Ashurnasirpal II's palace at Nimrud Assyria (IRAQ):
This is Winged Assyrian god Nisroch with an eagle's head and wings. It is also referred to as lamassu, shedu and "kuribu".
This is the Colossal Statue of a Pharaoh Seated, Egypt, probably Tanis (eastern Nile Delta).
Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, reign of Amenemhat II (ca. 1919–1885 B.C.) or possibly Senwosret II (ca. 1987–1878 B.C.); Granodiorite,
The Temple of Dendur, 10 B.C. Roman Period:
The Temple of Dendur is an Ancient Egyptian temple commissioned by the emperor Augustus and built by the Roman governor of Egypt, Petronius, around 10 BC. It was dedicated to Isis and Osiris. In the 1960s, the temple was removed from its original location and given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA, where it has been exhibited since 1978.
A reflecting pool in front of the temple and a sloping wall behind it represent the Nile and the cliffs of the original location.
The temple is constructed from sandstone and measures 25 meters width (82 feet) from the front stone gate to its rear and 8 meters height (26 feet) from its lowest to its highest point.
On the outer walls between earth and sky are carved scenes of the king making offerings to deities who hold scepters and the ankh, the symbol of life. The figures are carved in sunk relief. In the brilliant Egyptian sunlight, shadows cast along the figures' edges would have emphasized their outlines.
In the first room of the temple, reliefs again show the "pharaoh" praying and offering to the gods, but the relief here is raised from the background so that the figures can be seen easily in the more indirect light.
From this room one can look into the temple past the middle room used for offering ceremonies and into the sanctuary of the goddess Isis. The only carvings in these two rooms are around the door frame leading into the sanctuary and on the back wall of the sanctuary, where a relief depicts Pihor worshiping Isis, and below – partly destroyed – Pedesi worshiping Osiris.
Now off to ancient China
Now off to ancient China
This is Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin), China, Northern Qi dynasty (550–577), Medium:Sandstone with pigment
Large-scale sculptures of Bodhisattvas wearing jewelry epitomize Chinese sculpture from the second half of the sixth century. The jeweled harness adorning this Bodhisattva is made up of two long strands of pearls and multifaceted beads.
Some elements, such as the triangular pendants, have Chinese precedents. Others, such as the pearl cabochons, derive from Central Asian traditions.the jewels refer to a passage in the Lotus Sutra in which Buddha Shakyamuni and another bodhisattva extol Avalokiteshvara’s great compassion and present him with a pearl necklace as a symbol of his benevolence.
Some elements, such as the triangular pendants, have Chinese precedents. Others, such as the pearl cabochons, derive from Central Asian traditions.the jewels refer to a passage in the Lotus Sutra in which Buddha Shakyamuni and another bodhisattva extol Avalokiteshvara’s great compassion and present him with a pearl necklace as a symbol of his benevolence.
Report on our last day at NYC is here:
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