strip
- Museum number
- 134383
- Description
-
Fragmentary gold strip with embossed and chased decoration showing two lion-like animals arranged in antithetical pairs, each of the beasts separated by a raised, apparently soldered, circle which was presumably intended to hold a coloured inlay (missing); the beasts have triangular ears and large eyes, and their legs and tails end in spirals; along the top and bottom edges of the strips, there are bird's heads (possibly eagles) with long curled beaks, placed back to back; the ears and eyes of the leonine beasts, and the eyes of the birds are inlaid with a blue enamel-like material.
- Production date
- 8thC BC-7thC BC (?)
- Dimensions
-
Length: 19.40 centimetres
-
Weight: 48.70 grammes
-
Width: 3.20 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- See also BM.134384.
Many identical fragments exist in other collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (length 13.5 cm; illustrated on p. 244, fig. 4 by C. K. Wilkinson, "Introduction" to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, April 1960, issue devoted to "Art of the Ancient Near East") and the National Museum, Tehran.
- Location
- On display (G30/dc26)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2018-2019 8 Nov-24 Feb, London, BM, I am Ashurbanipal, king of the world, king of Assyria
1995-2005 17 Nov-14 Dec, BM, G52/IRAN/14/11
1977 London, BM, 'Animals in Art'
- Acquisition date
- 1964
- Acquisition notes
- Previous ownership according to R. Ghirshman (Sept Mille Ans, p. 84).
- Department
- Middle East
- BM/Big number
- 134383
- Registration number
- 1964,0616.1
