librarienne:Winged protective deity, Northern Iraq (883-859 BC). Alabaster.“To protect themselves fr
librarienne:Winged protective deity, Northern Iraq (883-859 BC). Alabaster.“To protect themselves from unseen terrors, Assyrians surrounded themselves with images of fantastic minor deities. In the palace at Calakh (Nimrud), reliefs like these, which were originally painted, covered the walls from the throne room to the lavatories. Each bears the figure of a winged guardian whose function was to keep the king from harm. One is shown pollinating a sacred tree; the other, holding a scepter, is in the act of protecting the king, whose figure would have been carved on an adjacent relief. Across the middle of each is the so-called standard inscription of Assurnasirpal II, which records the king’s conquests and achievements.”Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. -- source link