On view
Plaque with a king plucking a lotus flower,
first half of the 8th century BCE
At a time when the kings of Assyria controlled a vast empire in the ancient Near East, Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883–859 BCE) built a new capital in Kalhu. On this small plaque, found in the palace he built, a ruler picks a lotus flower, visually linking a symbol of abundance, eternity, and fertility with the king’s reign. While the image repeats motifs and themes carved into the large relief panels that adorned much of the palace—one of the panels, made of gypsum is on display in the Orientation Gallery—on this plaque the image of the king was rendered in miniature, care-fully carved into a small piece of elephant ivory.
Information
first half of the 8th century BCE
Asia, Iraq, Kalhu (Nimrud)
Asia, Iraq, Kalhu (Nimrud), Nimrud
- Richard David Barnett, "The Nimrud ivories and the art of the Phoenicians", Iraq 2, no. 2 (1935): p. 179-210., p. 179-210
- Richard David Barnett, A catalogue of the Nimrud ivories: with other examples of ancient Near Eastern ivories in the British Museum, (London: Trustees of the British Museum, 1957). , p. 170, note 6
- F. F. Jones and R. Goldberg, Ancient art in the Art Museum: Princeton University, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1960)., p. 10; p. 11 (illus.)
- Judith Price, Masterpieces of ancient jewelry: exquisite objects from the cradle of civilization, (Philadelphia, PA: Running, 2008)., p. 69-70 (illus.)
- T. S. Kawami and J. Olbrantz, Breath of heaven, breath of earth: ancient Near Eastern art from American collections, (Salem, OR: Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University; 2013)., p. 136, plate 34.
