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Winged Griffin Nibbling on Sacred Tree
(Ancient Near East )
This Phoenician-style ivory plaque shows a griffin (a creature with a lion's body, falcon's head, and wings) nibbling on a sacred tree. The griffin rests one forepaw on a papyrus blossom and the other on a branch of the tree. The sacred tree may be associated with agricultural abundance and nourishment. This plaque would have adorned the outside of a box.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
British School of Archaeology, Iraq, by excavation [at Fort Shalmanesat, Room S.W. 37, at Nimrud, Excavation No. N.D. 10650]; Walters Art Museum, September 1983, by exchange.
Measurements
H: 2 3/16 x W: 2 3/8 x D: 3/8 in. (5.5 x 6.1 x 1 cm)
Credit Line
Museum acquisition by exchange with British School of Archaeology in Iraq, 1983
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
71.1171