Description:

Ancient Near East, Sumerian or Babylon, ca. 2nd to 1st millennium BCE. A wonderful ensemble of 4 terracotta relief panels. The first exhibits the image of the legendary giant Humbaba shown squatting with legs apart. The second features a nude and bearded deity wearing a headdress while holding a pair of implements together at his chest. The third presents a conical object with liberal remains of script and a pair of anthropomorphic arms flanking it at the base. The last displays 2 nude musicians - one male and one female - wearing tall headdresses as the female plays a drum and male plays a type of wind instrument. These plaques may have served as votives in an ancient household. Size of largest (Humbaba): 2.8" W x 3.1" H (7.1 cm x 7.9 cm); 4.2" H (10.7 cm) on included custom stand.

In Akkadian mythology, Humbaba (Assyrian spelling) or Huwawa (Babylonian spelling) was a monstrous giant personifying the "river of the dead" (Styx) who was also the guardian of the Forest of the Cedars where the gods resided. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh and Enkidu set out on an adventure to the cedar forest to slay Humbaba. Defeated, Humbaba appealed to a receptive Gilgamesh for mercy but Enkidu convinced Gilgamesh to slay Humbaba. Enlil, the god who set up Humbaba as the forest's guardian, became enraged upon learning this and redistributed Humbaba's seven splendors (auras) to others.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#144200

  • Condition: Relief with bearded deity has been professionally repaired with break lines visible, otherwise all are fragments of larger pieces with nicks, chips, and abrasions throughout. All have liberal remaining detail and earthen deposits in areas.

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January 29, 2023 9:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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