Lion with the names of Pharaoh Necho II
This fine lion with cartouches of the pharaoh Necho II on its shoulders lay atop another figure (now missing), perhaps a human captive, more likely a prey animal. The sculpture may have been pegged to the lid of a box.
Stylistic elements like the curled mane suggest the lion was created in the Near East, and even more specifically point to the Syro-Hittite area. In fact, the piece speaks with remarkable immediacy of a moment in Egyptian history. Between 609 and 605 Necho's Egyptian troops fought at Harran and Carchemish in the Syro-Hittite region alongside the Assyrians against the conquering Neo-Babylonians under Nebuchadrezzar II.
Stylistic elements like the curled mane suggest the lion was created in the Near East, and even more specifically point to the Syro-Hittite area. In fact, the piece speaks with remarkable immediacy of a moment in Egyptian history. Between 609 and 605 Necho's Egyptian troops fought at Harran and Carchemish in the Syro-Hittite region alongside the Assyrians against the conquering Neo-Babylonians under Nebuchadrezzar II.
Artwork Details
- Title: Lion with the names of Pharaoh Necho II
- Period: Late Period
- Dynasty: Dynasty 26
- Reign: reign of Necho II
- Date: 610–595 BC
- Geography: From Egypt
- Medium: Steatite, glaze
- Dimensions: L. 5.6 × W. 2.8 × H. 3.5 cm (2 3/16 × 1 1/8 × 1 3/8 in.)
- Credit Line: Purchase, Patricia A. Cotti and Lila Acheson Wallace Gifts, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.259
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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664–332 B.C.
ca. 945–924 B.C.
ca. 643–623 B.C.
ca. 945–924 B.C.
ca. 945–924 B.C.
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