Lion with the names of Pharaoh Necho II

Unknown

610–595 BC · steatite, glaze · Egyptian Art

This fine lion with cartouches of the pharaoh Necho II on its shoulders lay atop another figure (now missing), perhaps a human captive, more likely a prey animal. The sculpture may have been pegged to the lid of a box. Stylistic elements like the curled mane suggest the lion was created in the Near East, and even more specifically point to the Syro-Hittite area. In fact, the piece speaks with remarkable immediacty of a moment in Egyptian history. Between 609 and 605 Necho's Egyptian troops fought at Harran and Carchemish in the Syro-Hittite region alongside the Assyrians against the conquering Neo-Babylonians under Nebuchadrezzar II.

Artist

Unknown

Date

610–595 BC

Medium

steatite, glaze

Department

Egyptian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Patricia A. Cotti and Lila Acheson Wallace Gifts, 2019