Molded plaque: king or a god carrying a mace

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ceramic plaques of this sort were mass-produced from molds and represent a form of art available to a wide audience. They have been excavated in temples as well as household shrines in private homes. Their subject matter varies widely, including religious images, mythological and erotic scenes, and representations of rulers and gods. The figure on this plaque carries a mace or scepter and wears a short kilt and the round headdress of an Old Babylonian/Isin-Larsa ruler. His posture is erect and commanding, resembling that of Mesopotamian rulers of the Akkadian period on monumental relief sculpture. The mace held by this figure is often interpreted as a symbol of authority that has been invested by a higher power. Similar figures appear on cylinder seals, where they are usually depicted facing a suppliant goddess who intercedes with the gods on behalf of the seal owner. While some scholars have suggested that this figure is a god, it is likely that he is a king in warrior dress.

Ancient Near Eastern Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art cares for approximately 7,000 works ranging in date from the eighth millennium B.C. through the centuries just beyond the emergence of Islam in the seventh century A.D. Objects in the collection were created by people in the area that today comprises Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean coast, Yemen, and Central Asia. From the art of some of the world's first cities to that of great empires, the department's holdings illustrate the beauty and craftsmanship as well as the profound interconnections, cultural and religious diversity, and lasting legacies that characterize the ancient art of this vast region.

Metropolitan Museum of Art