Assyrian Ram Headed Sphinxes
by Weston Westmoreland
Title
Assyrian Ram Headed Sphinxes
Artist
Weston Westmoreland
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Two addorsed Ram-Headed Sphinxes.Assyrian empire, Circa 9th–8th century B.C.
Inspired in Egyptian art, this sphinxes show ram heads instead of human and are carved in an ivory plaque.
This piece was found in Nimrud, one of the Assyrian capitals. Ram-headed sphinxes were often depicted in Egyptian art when this ivory was carved, probably by Phoenician artisans. Ram-headed sphinxes were often depicted in the Nile Valley during the Third Intermediate Period, a time that coincided with Phoenician presence in the Levant. The slender proportions of this creature are typically Phoenician, as are several elements drawn from Egyptian art including the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, the apron and the headdress.
Their eyes are deeply drilled to receive inlays of semiprecious stones or colored glass. The plaque was probably part of a piece of furniture.
Built by the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II, the palaces and storerooms of Nimrud housed thousands of pieces of carved ivory obtained from war booty or tribute. Most of the pieces were part of furniture inlays or small boxes.
Some of them were carved in the Assyrian style, but the majority display images and styles of North Syria and the Phoenician city-states. It was usual to find Egyptian imagery in Phoenician art.
More amazing statues, sculptures and carvings at https://weston-westmoreland.pixels.com/collections/statues+sculptures+carvings
Weston Westmoreland
Uploaded
July 4th, 2019
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