Chair-Back Panel with Warrior Holding Lotus

Place of OriginReportedly from Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad, Iraq)

Date20th century

DimensionsH: 7 in. (17.8 cm)

MediumBone relief (possibly ivory?).

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number

1954.25

Not on View

DescriptionThis small rectangular relief, about 7 inches in height, is carved from bone and depicts a bearded male figure standing in profile, holding a lotus blossom in one hand. The figure is rendered in low relief with no background, suggesting the panel was part of a larger composition, likely mounted on a piece of furniture such as a high-backed ceremonial chair. Its stylistic affinities mimic North Syrian ivories sent as tribute to the Neo-Assyrian court.

Label TextThis small carved panel shows a bearded man holding a lotus blossom. Originally believed to be a Neo-Assyrian furniture fitting from Khorsabad, the object was thought to represent tribute art from North Syrian vassals. Its form and iconography reflect decorative traditions found at sites like Nimrud and Zincirli. However, doubts about its authenticity have emerged. The material, bone rather than ivory, contradicts known examples, and it was published in 2000 as a modern forgery. This case underscores the challenges in authenticating ancient art and the importance of ongoing provenance and technical research.Published ReferencesMuscarella, Oscar White, The Lie Became Great: The Forgery of Ancient Near Eastern Cultures, Groningen, Styx Publications, 2000, p. 181, no 27, ill. p. 501.

Comparative Referencescf. Mallowan, Max E. L., and Georgina Herrmann, Ivories from Nimrud III: Furniture from SW 7, Fort Shalmaneser, London, British Institute for the Study of Iraq, 1974.

cf. Winter, Irene J., “Carved Ivory Furniture Panels from Nimrud: A Coherent Subgroup of the North Syrian Style,” Metropolitan Museum Journal, vol. 11, 1976, pp. 25–54.

cf. Aruz, Joan, and Jean-François de Lapérouse, “Nimrud Ivories,” in Assyria to Iberia at the Dawn of the Classical Age, edited by Joan Aruz, Sarah B. Graff, and Yelena Rakic, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2014, pp. 141–156.