Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Relief with Four Archers
(Ancient Near East )
This black basalt orthostat is carved in low relief and depicts a procession of four armed figures. The figures, two bearded and the others beardless (possibly representing eunuchs), march to the right. All of the figures hold staffs in both hands and are equipped with quivers slung over their shoulders. It is possible that these figures formed a fragment of a larger composition, perhaps a military parade.
This orthostat, possibly from Arslan Tash (ancient Hadatu), provides an excellent example for the blending of Assyrian and Syro-Anatolian artistic traditions. Although the sculptors of the relief worked in a regional style that also extended to its neighboring Syro-Anatolian city-states, the composition and subject matter are undeniably Assyrian.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Sale, Sotheby’s, London, July 13, 1970, no. 21. Sale, Sotheby, London, July 12, 1971, no. 23 [as from Arslan Tash]; Walters Art Museum, 1971, by purchase.
Geographies
Syria, Arslan Tash (?) (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 41 15/16 x W: 32 13/16 x Minimum D: 8 in. (106.6 x 83.3 x 20.3 cm); Maximum D: 9 in. (22.9 cm); Weight: 1000 lb. (453.6 kg)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1971
Location in Museum
Not on view
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.
21.20