Furniture plaque carved in relief with spear

Unknown

ca. 9th century BCE · Ivory · Ancient Near Eastern Art

Excavations at Hasanlu in Iran yielded a large number of carved ivory fragments, many in a distinctive style found only at this site, which probably decorated wooden furniture or were used as small precious objects such as boxes. The citadel at Hasanlu was attacked and destroyed around 800 B.C., most likely by military forces of the powerful state of Urartu, centered in present-day Armenia, eastern Turkey, and northwestern Iran. In the fire that destroyed the citadel, many objects were crushed and shattered. The blackened appearance of most of the Hasanlu ivories is due to their exposure to high temperatures at the time of the citadel’s destruction. This fragment shows the lower legs of two barefoot warriors, advancing toward each other. The spear tip of the warrior at left touches the foot of the adversary at right. This piece may be part of another plaque in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection (65.163.8), or a similar plaque with the same type of decoration. It was probably attached to a wooden frame by means of dowels, to form a piece of furniture.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 9th century BCE

Medium

Ivory

Culture

Iran

Department

Ancient Near Eastern Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1965