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Portfolios%3D%22709%22%20and%20Disp_Obj_Type%3D%22Sculpture%22%20and%20Period%3D%22%22
Sculpture
Winged Genius
Assyrian artist, (active )
Assyrian artist
Iraq
33 3/8 x 29 1/8 x 2 1/2 in. (84.7 x 73.9 x 6.4 cm)
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with mount
overall
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with base
overall
Alabaster
Alabaster
Assyrian; made in Nimrud
ca. 865 BCE-860 BCE
865 BCE
860 BCE
1000 BCE - 500 CE, ancient art (Mediterranean & Near East), Assyrian, reliefs, reliefs
Sculpture
This mythical guardian figure, called a Genius, wears a two-horned helmet and fringed garment and carries a double-handled dagger, all attributes of his divine nature. His hands gesture protectively toward a flowering tree, just visible at the right edge of the sculpture. This relief, once brightly painted, is a fragment from the Northwest palace built by the Assyrian king Ashirnasirpal II (883—859 BCE) in his capital city at Kalhu, now the Iraqi city of Nimrud. Dozens of huge stone slabs carved with scenes of human and divine figures decorated the palace walls.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
This relief is a fragment of a larger composition of similar figures that once decorated one of the palaces of King Ashurnasirpal II, who ruled Assyria from 883 to 859 BCE. He established his capital at Kalhu, now the Iraqi city of Nimrud. Carved in a technique typical of Assyrian bas-reliefs, with contours deeply channeled to make them discernible in diffuse light, the figure’s facial features and musculature are carefully modeled. The hair and garments are also carved in detail, enhancing the decorative effect that the Assyrians favored in such reliefs.
The wings and the two-horned helmet worn by the figure, called a Genius, are attributes of his divinity. That he is a protective deity is implied by his gesture toward the tree form, which suggests the care of a farmer for planted crops. The palmettes of a tree behind the figure’s right foot separated this figure from a similar one, now in the Vatican Museum in Rome, facing in the opposite direction.
The motif of tending to these tree forms appears on many of the more than 315 Assyrian reliefs in collections outside of Nimrud, and is believed to represent an act that was part of ritual ceremonies. While such ceremonies remain unexplained, their frequent representation in palace reliefs suggests their importance to Assyrian court life.
"I, Ashurnasirpal, the king whose glory is mighty, took Kalhu and changed its ancient mound… A palace of boxwood, mulberry, cedar, cypress, pistachio, tamarisk, and poplar… for my royal dwelling and for my lordly pleasure I founded therein, I adorned and made glorious.”
King Ashurnasirpal II, who ruled Assyria from 883-859 BCE, so described the founding of his new capital city at Kalhu (modern-day Nimrud) on the banks of the Tigris River. Ashurnasirpal’s most elaborate project was the construction of the Northwest Palace, which included state apartments, a throne room, administrative offices, a harem and a tomb. Built during his reign and completed by his successors, the palace was decorated with huge stone slabs that were carved with scenes of figures in relief and inscribed with a record of important events during Ashurnasirpal’s reign. The Gallery’s relief, Winged Genius, probably comes from this palace.
[Gallery label text, 2004]
1944.10
item
Memorial Art Gallery
3/20/2001
44.10SL1
slide
full
2 x 2
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glossy
8 x 10
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neg
8 x 10
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neg
4 x 5
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44.10DI1
digital image
Memorial Art Gallery
Imaging complete
2 x 2
11/29/2001
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digital image
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44.10SL2
slide
detail of hands
2 x 2
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44.10DI2
digital image
00/00/00
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44.10DI3
digital image
00/00/00
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44.10DI#4
digital image
3/30/2009
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44.10DI#5
digital image
3/30/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/44.10_A5.jpg
44.10DI#6
digital image
3/30/2009
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44.10DI#7
digital image
3/30/2009
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44.10DI#8
digital image
Detail of lower hand
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pdf file
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/surrogates/pdf/CrossroadsGuide.pdf
Sculpture
Crest Mask: Male Antelope (Chi Wara)
Bamana artist, (active )
Bamana artist
Mali
Primary
40 9/16 x 2 15/16 x 13 9/16 in. (103 x 7.5 x 34.5 cm)
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overall
overall
Wood
Wood
Bamana; made in Mali
0
0
African art, antelopes, Bamana, chi wara, sculpture
Sculpture
In many cultures, gods and spirits take the form of animals. Selected for their physical or behavioral traits, features of different animals are combined to create mythical creatures whose symbolic powers are greater than those of ordinary beasts. This antelope crest mask combines the curved horns of an antelope, the curious snout and scales of a pangolin (a kind of anteater) and the squat body of an aardvark—all animals that dig up the earth. This makes the mask a fitting representations of Chi Wara, the supernatural being the Bamana believe taught humans to farm. Chi wara masks were worn in male/female pairs during dance performances in the fields that taught and encouraged good farming. Today, because of conversion to Islam and a variety of social changes due to westernization, the Chi Wara masquerade is now performed for entertainment and cultural pride.
The small pieces of red cloth attached to the snout of this male Chi Wara may have originated in the woolen bandages imported by the French during the First World War. In Bamana culture, red is the color of danger and is often restricted to men of certain status.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
1969.107
item
Memorial Art Gallery
11/28/2000
69.107SL2
slide
worn w fiber costume
2 x 2
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69.107SL1
slide
full
2 x 2
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negative
full
2 x 2
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glossy
full
2 x 2
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glossy
full
8 x 10
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full
4 x 5
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69.107DI1
digital image
full
2 x 2
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69.107DI2
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/69.107_A1.jpg
69.107DI#3
digital image
Three-quarter
1/13/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/69.107_A3.jpg
69.107DI#4
digital image
Side
1/13/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/69.107_A4.jpg
69.107DI#5
digital image
Front
1/13/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/69.107_A5.jpg
69.107DI#6
digital image
1/13/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/69.107_A6.jpg
69.107TR1
transparency
Front
4 x 5
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Sculpture
Rhythm Pounder (Deble)
Senufo artist, (active )
Senufo artist
Côte d'Ivoire
42 1/2 in. (108 cm)
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Wood
Wood
Senufo; made in Côte d'Ivoire
0
0
1900-2000, African art, religious & ritual objects, Senufo
Sculpture
In many African societies, life on earth is seen as part of a continuum that permits movement between the spirit and earthly worlds. As ancestors are in a position to assist the living, they must be respected and attended to. The rhythm pounders of the Senufo originally functioned as communication devices in calling the spirits of ancestors to participate in funerals. Held by the upper arms, the rhythm pounder’s thick base is thumped into the earth in rhythm with the sounds of chants, drums and rattles.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
1969.72
item
Memorial Art Gallery
3/10/2001
69.72SL1
slide
3/4 full
2 x 2
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glossy
3/4 full L
8 x 10
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glossy
3/4 full R
8 x 10
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negative
3/4 full
4 x 5
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69.72SL2
slide
detail-torso/head
2 x 2
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69.72DI1
digital image
3/4 full
2 x 2
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69.72DI#3
digital image
Front
3/10/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/69.72_A3.jpg
69.72DI#2
digital image
Three-quarter
3/10/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/69.72_A2.jpg
Sculpture
Helmet Mask (Waniougo)
Senufo artist, (active )
Senufo artist
Côte d'Ivoire
Primary
14 3/8 x 25 3/4 x 13 in. (36.5 x 65.4 x 33 cm)
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Wood
Wood
Senufo; made in Côte d'Ivoire
0
0
masks
Sculpture
The sharp edges and angular forms of this double-faced mask (waniougo) result in a fierce and expressive presence. A fearsome appearance is desirable as waniougo’s role is to frighten away evil spirits wishing to harm a Senufo village at times of particular vulnerability, for example at funerals. Their appearance in nighttime masquerades enhances the otherworldly presence of these “firespitter” masks; embers or burning grass are held in front of the mouths through which the wearer blows to creating a dramatic shower of sparks into the night sky.
Waniougo combines the features of crocodiles (teeth), hippos (tusks), warthogs (upper tusks) and chameleons (two are visible on the top). In order to empower the mask before the ceremony, the cup held by the chameleons is filled with magical materials and the mask freshly painted with spots.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
1970.22
item
Memorial Art Gallery
3/10/2001
70.22TR1
transparency
4 x 5
00/00/00
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70.22SL1
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full
2 x 2
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full
4 x 5
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glossy
full
8 x 10
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70.22DI1
digital image
4 x 5
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http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/70.22_A1.jpg
Sculpture
Female Satyr, Bacchus, and Putti
Gerhard van Opstal, 1597 - 1668
Opstal, Gerhard van
Flanders
1597 - 1668
Male
8 1/2 x 6 1/4 x 1 in. (21.6 x 15.9 x 2.5 cm)
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Ivory
Ivory
17th Century
1600
1699
1600-1800, Bacchus, European art, putti, satyrs
Sculpture
1955.49.1
item
Memorial Art Gallery
3/10/2001
negative
4 x 5
00/00/00
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negative
5 x 7
00/00/00
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glossy
5 x 7
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Graphics/blank.gif
55.49.1DI1
digital image
00/00/00
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/55.49.1_A1.jpg
55.49.1DI#2
digital image
10/23/2009
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/55.49.1_A2.jpg