Assyrian Art Essay -- essays research papers

Assyrian ArtThe reliefs from the palace of King Assurnasirpal II at Nimrud romance an important subprogram in portraying the power and importanceof the Assyrian king. These reliefs ar similar to other Assyrianreliefs in terms of their purpose however, there is a contrast in themethods used to glorify the king. By examining such factors as style,iconography and historical significance, we find many similarities anddifferences between the honoring reliefs and the more putting green reliefsdepicting war and hunting.The reliefs belonging to the unspeakable orceremonial menage consist of panels depicting a sacred maneuver, a humanheaded title-holder fertilizing a sacred tree, a griffin fertilizing a sacredtree, and a scene of King Assurnasirpal (whose name comes from the godAssur) followed by a move genius. Dating to about 870 B.C., thesereliefs were originally located in the antechamber to the imperial thronehall and in the living room where it would have been viewed by distin guishedguests. Because of their location and larger than life size, thereliefs ...instill in the beholder a sense of awe and reverence for theking.... (Art History Anthology 28). Moreover, the reliefs overwhelmthe viewer by depicting the kings power and god-like divinity throughpropagandistic iconography and stylization.To portray the kings god-like divinity,the reliefs take on the deities and Assurnasirpal in a similar bearing.First of all, hierarchic scale is closely absent since all the figures areclosely related in size, with Assurnasirpal universe only slightly shorterthan the deities. In historical context, this shows that Assyriankings were closely associated with deities, but were non considered godsthemselves. This lack of hierarchic scale is also seen in the Lion feed of Assurbanipal, where king Assurbanipal is shown slightly largerthan his servants.Secondly, the deities and Assurnasirpalare similar in military position and stylization. All the figures have theirhead and legs shown in profile, while the torso is shown middle(a) frontal.In addition, the figures maintain a stiff vertical stance with their fortificationextended in either straight lines or are stiff bent into a ninety-degreeangle. In the third panel, both a locomote deity and Assurnasirpalare depicted facing towards the right with their left feet fore however,in contrast, the human headed genius and the griffin ... ...a symmetricalmanner with intertwining branches, stylized leaves, and a fan of leavesabove the trunk. The winged geniuses are fertilizing the sacred tree witha date blossom in their right hand and belongings a sacred bucket in theirleft. In addition, panel tether shows a winged deity following Assurnasirpalwith his right hand elevated over the king in a gesture of benediction and worshipful protection (Art History Anthology 28). By placing these reliefsin his antechamber and living room, Assurnasirpal emphasizes the sacredcharacter of the Assyrian king, elect ed by the gods, although not himselfof divine substance (Frankfort 87).In conclusion, we find that the reliefsfrom the palace of King Assurnasirpal II play an important role in exhibitingthe power and importance of the king. While an Assyrian kings powercan be depicted is a war-like manner by his military might, we learn thatceremonial reliefs are also effective by placing the king in comparisonto gods. The power and importance of the king is shown through a peacefulmanner that highly contrasts the scenes of death and fighting found insuch reliefs as the lion hunt of Assurbanipal and the battle scene of Assurnasirpal.