Lot 36
Ancient Near East, Sumeria, ca. 2nd to early 1st millennium BCE. An impressed decorative ceramic panel depicting what is most likely the Mesopotamian goddess Gula/Ninkarrak, shown here as she often is with a dog seated at her feet. She is standing and speaking to another figure, perhaps a worshipper, and wears a long skirt and a pointed, tall hat. Below her is a dotted texture, and she and the worshipper are together within a raised border. Perhaps this panel graced the interior of a temple or other public space. Size: 2.4" W x 4.25" H (6.1 cm x 10.8 cm); 5.95" H (15.1 cm) on included custom stand.
Gula/Ninkarrak (sometimes also Ninisinna) was known as the "Lady of Health". Her most prominent cult center was in Isin, in modern day Iraq, where her temple was named the Dog Temple. More than thirty dogs were found buried beneath the ramp leading into its interior. She also had cult centers, with multiple temples, in Uruk, Babylon, and Assur. Motifs of Gula/Ninkarrak with a dog reclining at her feet emerged in the Old Babylonian period and are frequently depicted on plaques like this one.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
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#127677
- Condition: Piece is a fragment from a larger panel, with losses to all edges. Figure of the goddess is fully present and well-preserved.
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