Comparing Memi And Sabu, And The Statue Of Gudea

Two sculptures from two different geographic locations are depicted for this paper, The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu, and the Statue of Gudea. Within each of these we find similarities and differences which I will be discussing at length within this paper. I will also be considering the intended purpose or function that each of these sculptures has. To begin, we will look at the medium. The most obvious similarity is that these are both sculptures of individuals and are meant to depict the person (or people) in a somewhat realistic manner. Memi and Sabu are themselves slightly larger than the Statue of Gudea, but hey both are somewhat small in comparison to larger sculpture pieces found throughout history. The difference in material comes
In the case of Memi and Sabu, we are not given a description of what is written, but Gudea has an inscription depicting his “name and divine dedications” (Statue of Gudea, n.d., para. 2). The form of the subjects are both created with texture that helps to depict the real nature of the subjects; we can see an attempt to create clothing on the subjects which drapes over their bodies in a very realistic way and we can also see the detail in their hair and the shape of the bodies themselves. Memi and Sabu have a back-drop wall in which they are standing in front of while Gudea is depicted sitting on a throne without any type of barrier behind him. In looking to the effect of the intended purpose or function that these pieces of insight have on the appearance of these sculptures, we can surmise a few different things. First of all, the artists wanted to create a sense of reality and purpose in the subjects that they were sculpting. With this amount of detail, the subjects of the art had some amount of purpose or importance to them; in the case of Gudea, he was ruler of his time, and in the case of Memi and Sabu, they do not specify royalty, but they share this importance through the