Furniture plaque: lion

Unknown

ca. 18th century BCE · Ivory (hippopotamus) · Ancient Near Eastern Art

This plaque in the shape of a seated lion belongs to a group of carved ivories, mostly furniture elements, probably found at the site of a palace at Acemhöyük in central Anatolia. It closely resembles another plaque in the same group which is also in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection (36.152.5). The mane is shown in the form of individual tufts, each ending in an upturned curl, with a row of smaller locks separating it from the face. The mouth is open in a roar, showing numerous teeth. An inlay originally fit into the eye socket, but is now missing. The overall gray color indicates that the object was exposed to considerable heat, perhaps during the destruction of the palace.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 18th century BCE

Medium

Ivory (hippopotamus)

Culture

Old Assyrian Trading Colony

Department

Ancient Near Eastern Art

Credit line

Gift of George D. Pratt, 1932