Amulet in the form of a couchant lion

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This small object carved from a piece of shell depicts a reclining lion with head resting on his front paws. The elements of the animal’s body are very simply modeled: haunches, body, shoulders and front paws, and head can be identified. The back is straight and the belly hangs down slightly. Small drilled holes mark the mane, and larger holes indicate the eye and ear. Traces of pigment in these holes suggest that they were originally inlaid with a material in a contrasting color. Lions were one of the most frequently represented animals in the art of Mesopotamia from a very early period on, and were often shown in combat with an adversary, either human or supernatural. This object may have been used as an amulet, harnessing the enormous power of this fearsome animal.

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