Compare And Contrast Two Ancient Head Sculptures
In this essay I will compare and contrast two ancient head sculptures. The first is a female head (Inanna) from Uruk, (modern Warka) Iraq. The artist is not very sure about the head that belongs to Inanna. The marble head dates back to c.a. 3200-3000 BCE, and is comprised of marble. The second image is the head of an Akkadian ruler, from Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, c.a. 2250-2200 BC, and is constructed of copper. Both the sculptures contain very distinctive artistic features and were constructed with remarkable craftsmanship.
During the period of Mesopotamian history, goddess Inanna (later known as Ishtar) was considered the most important female deity and was addressed as the goddesses of love and war, and was especially praised by the Sumerians. She was highly regarded as the “morning star” and the “evening star” because she was associated with planet Venus (Gardner and Kleiner 34). Due to her high stature, Sumerians …show more content…
It is one of the treasures at the National Museums of Iraq in Baghdad. This magnificent copper head of an Akkadian king found in Nineveh exemplifies the perfect example of high-class monarchy.
During the occupation of Medes in the south near the Caspian Sea, the head of the Akkadian King was the only piece of art that survived. The Medes ruled Nineveh in 612 BC. The statue was knocked over in antiquity and the head was deliberately mutilated to make a political statement (40). The enemy gouged out the eyes (once inlaid with precious stone), broke off the lower part of the beard, and slashed the ears of the royal portrait. Even though the statue was abused, mutilated, and shows signs of being deliberately damaged, the Akkadian king’s portrait
conveys the king’s majestic serenity, dignity, and authority. The sculptor created the perfect balance of natural looks and facial features. An art textbook
During the period of Mesopotamian history, goddess Inanna (later known as Ishtar) was considered the most important female deity and was addressed as the goddesses of love and war, and was especially praised by the Sumerians. She was highly regarded as the “morning star” and the “evening star” because she was associated with planet Venus (Gardner and Kleiner 34). Due to her high stature, Sumerians …show more content…
It is one of the treasures at the National Museums of Iraq in Baghdad. This magnificent copper head of an Akkadian king found in Nineveh exemplifies the perfect example of high-class monarchy.
During the occupation of Medes in the south near the Caspian Sea, the head of the Akkadian King was the only piece of art that survived. The Medes ruled Nineveh in 612 BC. The statue was knocked over in antiquity and the head was deliberately mutilated to make a political statement (40). The enemy gouged out the eyes (once inlaid with precious stone), broke off the lower part of the beard, and slashed the ears of the royal portrait. Even though the statue was abused, mutilated, and shows signs of being deliberately damaged, the Akkadian king’s portrait
conveys the king’s majestic serenity, dignity, and authority. The sculptor created the perfect balance of natural looks and facial features. An art textbook