One of Two Lions from the Temple of Ishtar, Nuzi

Lion standing with legs close together. It is made of five parts: both forelegs in one piece, separate rear legs, upper body and head, and base. The open mouth reveals the hollow interior of the statue. Modeled face. The long tail curls over the animal's back, pointing to its left flank. Body and head are largely intact, although the legs were discovered broken into several fragments. The right rear leg is missing a fragment at the upper end.

The rectangular base of the statue is flat; its coarse reddish clay glazed only where the coating has dripped down from the figure. The vitrified glaze is the only apparent adhesive holding together the components of the statue. The glaze is generally faded, although occasional bright patches of color remain, particularly on the legs. Starr assembled the fragments in Iraq following their discovery. The lion was disassembled and restored in 1980 in the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies of the Harvard Art Museum.

Excavated from Yorghan Tepe, Iraq;

Original Field Catalogue: 30.1.196 "Figure Lion's statue [all written in ink, so the word change was made at the time of the original entry], represent [sic] a sitting lion, complete, green glazed; G29; Lion statue glazed [pencil addition]."
30.12.133 "glazed fragment; lion's paw; G50; well."
30.12.134 "glazed lion's paw, probably part of a lion's figurine; G50; well."