Plaque in the form of a tree

ca. 9th–8th century BCE

Not on view

This delicate plaque is finely incised with the image of a stylized tree. The trunk is made up of hatched sections connected by volutes, topped by a fan-shaped group of nine branches, each ending in an element that resembles a bunch of fruit or a pinecone. The plaque is broken in several areas, but a fragment of an additional branch is preserved extending from the right side. Stylized trees similar to this one, widely known today as "sacred trees," are represented frequently on the monumental stone reliefs that decorated the walls of the palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud, also in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection (see, for example, 32.143.3.). This small object was probably used as a decorative inlay for a piece of furniture or luxury object. Images of flourishing plant life seem to have evoked concepts of abundance and fruitfulness connected with the agricultural cycle, although we do not know whether the Assyrian "sacred tree" had other specific significance.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Plaque in the form of a tree
Period: Neo-Assyrian
Date: ca. 9th–8th century BCE
Geography: Mesopotamia, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu)
Culture: Assyrian
Medium: Shell
Dimensions: 1.85 x 0.14 in. (4.7 x 0.36 cm)
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1958
Object Number: 58.31.22
Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art

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