Standing Lion Statue

Stratum II, temple cella G29 and courtyard G50

Glazed terracotta

1931.162.A

Height: 39.0 cm

Base dimens.: 37.0 x 14.0 cm

Glazed terracotta 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 Harvard Art Museum / Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies.

Context

The main temple at Nuzi, which was dedicated to the Hurrian equivalent of the goddess Ishtar, was rebuilt several times. The main cella (room G29) and exterior courtyard (room G50) remained features of each successive phase. The last version of the temple, called Temple A, was destroyed and looted along with the rest of the city of Stratum II. Later occupation did little additional damage to the collapsed walls, but erosion devastated much of the remains in the southeastern part.

Many of the goods recovered from the temple were apparently thrown into courtyard room G50 from the cella at the time of the final destruction. Starr suggested that temple looters dragged their treasures into the courtyard, where the light was better, so they could inspect the items and decide what to keep and what to discard.

This lion is the better preserved of a pair (see 1931.162.B). The upper body was recovered intact in the northwest corner of the cella, while the base and legs were recovered from the courtyard. The other objects found in the vicinity of the lion are too numerous to list but included ceremonial maceheads (cf. 1931.140), an ax head, a bird figurine (1931.162.5), thousands of glass beads (see Technology and Conservation), 25 wall nails (see 1931.155.A and .B), and bronze nails (probably part of a wooden object).

Publications: Contenau 1947; F. A. M. Handbook 1931; F. A. M. Handbook 1936; Fogg Art Museum, An Exhibition of Ancient Sculpture, 1950; Hanfmann and Mitten 1978; Hanfmann and Rowland 1954; Lyon 1930; Mortimer 1981; “Nuzi and the Hurrians” 1999; Shafer 1996; Starr 1931; Starr 1937, pl. 110A; Starr 1939, 430-32; Vandiver 1990

Original Field Catalogue Entries

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.”