A MESOPOTAMIAN STEATITE PANTHER

CIRCA LATE 4TH-EARLY 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.

Details

A MESOPOTAMIAN STEATITE PANTHER
CIRCA LATE 4TH-EARLY 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
Seated on its haunches, the tail curled up and over the right hind leg, the curved shoulders supporting a tapering head, the eyes, jowls and muzzle articulated, the mouth opened with fangs bared, the ears flat against the head, the body ornamented throughout with crescent-shaped white limestone inlays indicating fur, the almond-shaped eyes inlaid in white limestone or shell with pupils of lapis lazuli, small circular recesses on the muzzle and forehead for inlay (some partially preserved), the body perforated horizontally through the hind paws, the underside with an oval recess
4¾ in. (12.1 cm) high

Provenance

Conti Collection, Lausanne, 1960s.
with Phoenix Ancient Art, Geneva and New York, 2006 (Catalogue no. 2, no. 53).

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Lot Essay

Inlaid animal figurines found in Mesopotamia are often cited as votive offerings. Compare the present example to one recumbent ram excavated in the E-anna temple precinct at Uruk Level III and now in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (no. 2b in Aruz, ed., Art of the First Cities, The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus). The fact that this panther is perforated horizontally and with a drilled recess on the underside suggests use as an attachment, rather than purely votive.

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