Applique in the shape of a lion

Applique in the shape of a lion

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This gold applique depicts a lion striding to the left. Its mouth is open, and its tail curls back to meet its rump. Several apertures on the lion’s shoulder and hind legs probably once held inlays. There are loops on the reverse side of the applique for attaching it to fabric. This applique would have been attached originally to clothing, along with many others like it. Some of the reliefs from Persepolis depicting the Persian king show decorations on his robe that are probably meant to represent appliques like this. Lions, signifying strength and raw power, were a popular feature of Achaemenid art, especially royal iconography.

Ancient Near Eastern Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Applique in the shape of a lionApplique in the shape of a lionApplique in the shape of a lionApplique in the shape of a lionApplique in the shape of a lion

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.