Formal Analysis of
"Relief of a Winged Genius"
Yahaira Guzman
Art History
09/29/10
Relief of a winged genius is a two-dimensional stone relief sculpture currently located on the first floor of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, in the Ancient Near East
Gallery (Accession number: 81.56). It is an Assyrian artifact excavated from the palace walls of the capital of ancient Nimrud, dating between 883-859 B.C. The unknown artist's deliberate use of size, material, scale, style and content, together with the sculpture's original setting, reflects the politically driven agenda during the reign of
Ashurnasirpal II.
Upon first viewing Relief of a winged genius, one cannot help but notice the enormity of the stone
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After one takes in the armed and protective aura of the Winged Being, the eyes are struck by the the very detailed workings of his hair and beard. His thick, curly and luxuriant hair suggests the kind of hair that only the most virile of men posess. This human aspect of the winged being serves as way to reflect the kings own power and virility. In terms of the object's anatomy, one notices the markings that are inscribed over the area that encompasses the space directly above his left knee and below the top of the sword in his right hand, spanning the full width of the sculpture. These markings are actually text and is a form of writing technique called Cuneiform. The same text that is on Relief of A Winged Genius also appears on other reliefs within the palace walls. The inscription tells of the story of the kings lineage, his military victories, how he founded
Kalhu (present-day Nimrud, Iraq) and built his palace. These inscriptions are a perfect example of political propaganda which purposely highlight the kings skill and accomplishments. Considering the artist's choice of medium, form, and content, it's clear that he or she chose their elements very carefully to convey a message of power, strength, and permanence to the intended viewer at the time. It's clear that this artist was comissioned by Ashurnasirpal II
Fig. 1 Statue of Yuny and Renenutet, ca. 1290–1270 BCE.; Fig. 2 Akhenaten and his Family,18
Since the beginning of time all human beings have had a fascination with human flight. Watching a bird soar through the air, one cannot help but desire the same capabilities. Imagine the point of view of the bird that flies high above the trees, among the mountains, over the ocean, and high in the air, far away from the clamor of everyday life on the ground. To have the freedom and power to release ones self from the tribulations experienced with two feet on the ground, and spring up and away into the peaceful, blue sky is a common human desire. Since ancient times, flight has represented the
His right hand may have held some type of parchment. Here are two images of the sculpture, at the time that he probably held the office of Pontificus Maximus…
At first, everyone’s hair is clean and orderly. On the first page of the story, the status of their hair is immediately noted: “His hair was plastered
The sculpture contains the three chief goddesses named: Al-lat, Al-Manat, and Al-Uzza. In the pre-Islamic era, the three sculptures were located inside the Kaaba including the other 360 deities representing the days of the year. There were also various temples to worship these three deities around the Arabian Peninsula. The Kaaba is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia and was the center to pagan deities from the Hejaz peninsula. According to Islamic traditions, ‘Allah’ ordered the first man on Earth Adam (date) built the Kaaba, however it
the wings of the man and the two eagles fame them. Below the ascending angle are two possible gods, one reclined on a stone and draped in lose cloth on his lower body. He holds an upright obelisk that draws your attention up and out to the apotheosis. The second god is seated on a possible chair. Her face is calm as she reaches out to the winged man as he paces through the sky.
(883-859 B.C.). This statue is about ten feet tall with a lion body and a human body followed by some wings. The statue is rather large and though the whole picture is not there for one to see all the palace, it seems to be at a foyer of some sort. What is known is that during this time most of the building were built from a type of mud rock which could have made this lamassu. The Human Headed Winged lion is made from things like mud, rock, and limestone. Mesopotamians did believe that this statue scared away dark forces and brought peace and safety to people’s homes, something that people have been doing for many years. This statue is from the Nimrud which is modern day Iraq, the ruler at the time was Assurnasirpal the second. From the book, it had said that Assyrians rose to dominance in Mesopotamian and they extended their most of their influences into Egypt. Even though it was after The Great sphinx it does give us an idea about how much culture and religion spread throughout
The message was that the art form was no longer for the Gods but for the kings instead. The Apadana, or audience hall, at the Ceremonial Complex was started by King Darius I, but, completed by his son, Xerxes.This feature of Persian architecture was created on artificial terraces, made of mud brick and faced with stone, and had giant lamassu gates within the structure.The kings where the ones now being worshiped and receiving gifts and offerings. Within this huge structure, there are many forms of symbolism being used in order to heighten the king's reputation of being strong, intimidating, and ready for battle. Mesopotamian, Sumerian,Babylonian, and Assyrian along with other different types of art forms all influenced this new art. The wealth
It is moreover pyramidal in structure with the vertex coinciding with Mary’s head. The base of the sculpture depicts the rock of Golgotha and is broader than the progressive
This document, “A Praise Poem of Iddin-Dagan,” is considered Sumerian royal praise poetry, which often depicted and praised the various achievements, strengths and accomplishments of rulers in the ancient Near East. Royal praise poetry can be used to analyze the legitimacy of a king and how he ruled, how his people felt about him, and his relationship with the gods. Strong and successful kings tended to have a close
Relief sculptures can be found inside the palace above the arched walkways and in the chapel (Perouse de Montclos 285). In the salon of war an equestrian relief sculpture is place above the fireplace (Perouse de Montclos 239). The palace has an abundance of sculpture to connecting it to classical culture.
First the author uses symbols to help describe the Angel and portray how weak the angel actually is. The Angel’s wings symbolize strength and power. While the Angel is in the cage his wings are beat up and he is weak, but over time his wings begin to heal and he becomes more powerful. It says, “... and at the beginning of December some large, stiff feathers began to grow on his wings,” (367). This line demonstrates the power the Angel is obtaining and soon after he
The relief was carved into the northern stairs of the Apadana at Persepolis, the capital of the ancient Achaemenid empire, founded by king Darius. The relief was sponsored by king Darius to show his absolute power. This artifact is significant because it shows the bureaucracy of Achaemenid empire, suggests the king’s absolute power and records the tradition of proskynesis.
This is, once again, a form of royal triumphalism that Shapur I emulates in this massive carving at this location. Certainly, the interrelationship between the successions of Sassanid kings provides a context for these public presentations of high relief stone carvings, which would have also been a public event for those witnessing king Shapur I during this historical period.
As discussed in the Encyclopaedia Britannica article "Cuneiform", cuneiform, a system of writing utilized during the ancient Middle East period, using a slanted edge of a stylus (writing instrument) to press into soft clay (2016). As the Encyclopaedia Britannica article "Hieroglyphic Writing" states, Hieroglyphics, a form of writing used by Egyptians carved on temple walls and public monuments in the form of pictures, symbols, or signs (2016). Runes, an alphabet with 24-33 letters carved on stones, as stated by Encyclopaedia Britannica article "Runic Alphabet" (2016).