Plaque in the form of a striding lion
Unknown Artist
ca. early 3rd millennium BCE
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
1.77 x 1.77 in. (4.5 x 4.5 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Reliefs
Period
Early Bronze Age
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Peter Sharrer, 1982
Accession Number
1982.72.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite silver plaque, shaped as a striding lion,ails from the Early Bronze Age in the Ancient Near East, around the early 3rd BCE. Measuring just 1.77 x 1.77 inches, its diminutive size belies its masterful craftsmanship, likely intended as a decorative element for jewelry, furniture inlay, or a personal amulet. Crafted in silver—a precious metal symbolizing wealth and divine favor—this metalwork relief exemplifies the technical prowess of early metallurgists, who hammered and chased the metal to create a dynamic, three-dimensional form. Lions held profound cultural significance in an...