Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Ancient Near East, Neo-Assyrian period, ca. early 1st millennium BCE. A cast bronze amulet in the form of a male lion, caught in mid-roar with its huge mouth open. Well-defined muscular legs and a large mane give great detail to the piece. A large, round hole has been drilled through the center to allow it to be worn. Size: 0.75" L (1.9 cm)

Miniature animal amulets like this one from the neo-Assyrian period recall the stone amulets made by earlier Mesopotamian civilizations, notably the Sumerians. In ancient times, lions lived in northern Africa and, until the 20th century BCE, in the ancient Near East. Lions are a common motif from this region; for example, lions flank the gates through which the dead passed at the tomb of King Abargi in Ur, and decorated the private apartments of the Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal at Kahlu (now at the British Museum). Lions were hunted for sport by the wealthy in this society, and their presence in Mesopotamian iconography is meant to celebrate both man's prowess over nature and the fierce, threatening power of the wild.

Provenance: Ex-California Museum of Ancient Art

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#120972

  • Condition: Patina with some encrustation in lower profile areas. Features and details are very clear.

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March 27, 2017 10:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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