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Votive statues, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, two worshipers,...
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Votive statues, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, two worshipers, front views.
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Description
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Title
Votive
statues
, from the
Square
Temple
at
Eshnunna
(modern
Tell
Asmar)
,
Iraq
,
two
worshipers
,
front
views
.
Date
2700 BCE?
Cultural Context
Near Eastern
Iraqi
Middle Eastern
Style/Period
Sumerian
Near Eastern
Mesopotamian
Theme
Sculpture (visual work)
Statues
Figurines
Statuettes (statues)
Votive offerings
Religious objects
Ceremonial objects
Ritual objects
Worship
Prayers
Rituals (events)
Rites
Gesture
Figurative art
Figures (representations)
Front views
Men (male humans)
Women
Costume (mode of fashion)
Skirts (garments)
Fringe
Robes (main garments)
Hairstyles
Beakers (drinking vessels)
Goblets
Drinking vessels
Subject
Sculpture
Figurines
Votive offerings
Religious articles
Ceremonial objects
Rites & ceremonies
Prayer
Gestures
Men
Women
Clothing & dress
Skirts
Robes
Hairstyles
Beards
Eyes
Drinking vessels
Description
"
Further
insight
into
Sumerian
religious
beliefs
and
rituals
comes
from a
cache
of
sculptures
reverently
buried
beneath
the
floor
of a
temple
at
Eshnunna
(modern
Tell
Asmar)
when
the
structure
was
remodeled
.
Carved
of
soft
gypsum
and
inlaid
with
shell
and
black
limestone
, the
statuettes
range
in
size
from
well
under
a
foot
to
about
30
inches
tall
. The
two
largest
figures
are
shown
in
Fig
.
2-5
.
All
of the
statuettes
represent
mortals
,
rather
than
deities
, with their
hands
folded
in
front
of their
chests
in a
gesture
of
prayer
,
usually
holding
the
small
beakers
the
Sumerians
used
in
religious
rites
.
Hundreds
of
such
goblets
have been
found
in the
temple
complex
at
Eshnunna
. The
men
wear
belts
and
fringed
skirts
.
Most
have
beards
and
shoulder-length
hair
. The
women
wear
long
robes
, with the
right
shoulder
bare
.
Similar
figurines
from
other
sites
bear
inscriptions
giving
such
information
as the
name
of the
donor
and the
god
or
even
specific
prayers
to the
deity
on the
owner's
behalf
. With their
heads
tilted
upward
, they
wait
in the
Sumerian
'waiting
room'
for the
divinity
to
appear
.
[…]
The
sculptors
of the
Eshnunna
statuettes
employed
simple
forms
,
primarily
cones
and
cylinders
, for the
figures
. The
statuettes
are not
portraits
in the
strict
sense
of the
word
, but the
sculptors
did
distinguish
physical
types
. At
least
one
child
was
portrayed
-
next
to the
woman
in
Fig
.
2-5
are the
remains
of
two
small
legs
.
Most
striking
is
the
disproportionate
relationship
between
the
inlaid
oversized
eyes
and the
tiny
hands
.
Scholars
have
explained
the
exaggeration
of the
eye
size
in
various
ways
. But
because
the
purpose
of these
votive
figures
was to
offer
constant
prayers
to the
gods
on their
donors'
behalf
, the
open-eyed
stares
most
likely
symbolize
the
eternal
wakefulness
necessary
to
fulfill
their
duty."(Excerpt
,
pp.35-36)
Material
Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone
Gypsum
Limestone
Rock
Shell (animal material)
Measurements
Male figure approx. 2' 6" high
Technique
Sculpting
Work Type
Sculpture
Figurines
Statues
Repository
Iraq Museum (Baghdad, Iraq)
Source
Kleiner, Fred S., and Christin J. Mamiya. Gardner's Art Through the Ages. 12th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005. (fig.2-5, p.36)
Rights
Photo credit/reproduced in Kleiner courtesy: Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
Digital Publisher
University of Louisville Department of Fine Arts/Allen R. Hite Art Institute Visual Resources Center
Format
image/jpeg
Digital File Name
VRC
825-07.jpg
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