Assyrian Art Essay -- essays research papers

Assyrian ArtThe reliefs from the palace of King Assurnasirpal II at Nimrud play an of the essence(predicate) role in awarding the power and immensenessof the Assyrian king. These reliefs are similar to other Assyrianreliefs in terms of their purpose however, in that location is a contrast in themethods used to glorify the king. By examining much(prenominal) factors as style,iconography and historical signifi arousece, we find many similarities anddifferences between the ceremonial reliefs and the much common reliefsdepicting war and hunting.The reliefs belonging to the sanctified orceremonial category consist of control panels depicting a set apart tree, a benevolentheaded genius fertilizing a sacred tree, a griffin fertilizing a sacredtree, and a scene of King Assurnasirpal (whose name comes from the godAssur) followed by a winged genius. Dating to about 870 B.C., thesereliefs were originally located in the entrance hall to the royal thronehall and in the life story ro om where it would bind been viewed by distinguishedguests. Because of their location and larger than life size, thereliefs ...instill in the commentator a sense of awe and reverence for theking.... (Art History Anthology 28). Moreover, the reliefs overwhelmthe spectator by depicting the kings power and god-like divinity throughpropagandistic iconography and stylization.To portray the kings god-like divinity,the reliefs represent the deities and Assurnasirpal in a similar direction.First of all, hierarchic plate is almost absent since all the figures areclosely related in size, with Assurnasirpal being only slightly shorterthan the deities. In historical context, this shows that Assyriankings were closely associated with deities, however were not considered godsthemselves. This lack of hierarchic scale is also seen in the social lionHunt of Assurbanipal, where king Assurbanipal is shown slightly largerthan his servants.Secondly, the deities and Assurnasirpalare similar in spat ial relation and stylization. All the figures have theirhead and legs shown in profile, while the proboscis is shown halfway frontal.In addition, the figures maintain a stiff vertical stance with their armsextended in either straight lines or are stiffly bent into a ninety-degreeangle. In the third panel, both a winged deity and Assurnasirpalare depicted facing towards the right with their left wing feet forward 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 baseball glove and holding a sacred bucket in theirleft. In addition, panel three shows a winged deity following Assurnasirpalwith his right fleet raised over the king in a gesture of grace anddivine protection (Art History Anthology 28). By placing these reliefsin his antechamber and living room, Assurnasirpal emphasi zes the sacredcharacter of the Assyrian king, elected by the gods, although not himselfof divine warmness (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 pick up thatceremonial reliefs are also effective by placing the king in relationto gods. The power and importance of the king is shown through a placidmanner that highly contrasts the scenes of death and fighting found in such reliefs as the lion hunt of Assurbanipal and the battle scene of Assurnasirpal.