This paper analyzes four works of art found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The four works are part of the Ancient Near East exhibit and include the Cyrus Cylinder, the Statue of Gudea in Lagash, the statue of the Boxer (an ancient Grecian sculpture from the 3rd century BC), and a figurine of the Egyptian work Isis-Aphrodite.
Ancient Near East Art at the Met
The Cyrus Cylinder is a fragmented clay cylinder (9 in. x 4 in.) from ancient times (roughly 530 BC), which contains the dictates of the Persian king Cyrus, known as Cyrus the Great. The cylinder is made of baked clay, like a pot or an ancient tablet, and inscribed in the clay are the orders of the king, concerning the people of Babylon, whom he had recently conquered.
The purpose of the cylinder was to give praise to the king Cyrus, to show how his virtues marked him as an exemplary king, how he did much to improve the lives of the Babylonians, and how he allowed non-Babylonians (such as Jews) to return to their native lands.
The Cyrus Cylinder is important first of all as an historical artifact which has captured a time and place and allows us today to witness what life was like in ancient Babylon. It allows for a better understanding of the cuneiform script and tells us something about the values held dear to Cyrus and the way in which those values were communicated to others. It is also important in a historical sense because it corroborates another historical document -- the Bible -- concerning the exodus of the Jews from Babylon, back to their native land, whereat they set about rebuilding the Temple.
The Cyrus Cylinder is positive proof of a historical narrative set down by another people at another time. It is an artifact which acts as a piece of narrative evidence, by confirming the Biblical account of history, and which also confirms the imposition of Persian rule on the Near East in the 6th century BC.
Lagash Gudea Statue
The Statue of Gudea is a Neo-Sumerian diorite stone statue, whose dimensions are roughly 17 x 9 x 12 in. It is an incredibly ancient work of art, whose date is considered to be around 2090 BC -- which would mean that this statue is over 4000 years old.
The statue is the representation of Gudea, a king who ruled in Lagash following the reign of the Akkadians. Gudea took a strong interest in preserving the Sumerian culture and in rebuilding the religious temples that were so important to the culture's heritage and identity.
The purpose of the statue is evident in the words inscribed on it in the Sumerian language: "Gudea, the man who built the temple; may his life be long." The script is found in the king's robes and would have been easily read by those close to it. The statue is meant to preserve the memory of the king just as the king preserved the memory of Lagash and its heritage.
As a cultural artifact, the statue is important because it shows yet another glimpse of what it is to be human. Here, we see King Gudea, seated in a rather traditional pose representing good will and spiritual prayer. The king is humbling himself before God and before his subjects and before his ancestors: it is a valuable lesson not only for his people but also for us. We see the power that tradition and heritage and culture all have in generation, a time, and a place. This little state carries a lot of weight and a lot of meaning in terms of what humanity truly is.
The Boxer: An Ancient Masterpiece
Discovered in Quirinal Hill, this Hellenistic bronze sculpture dates from around the 3rd century BC. It is plated with copper to depict wounds that the subject has received in his boxing match: boxers attacked one another's head in ancient Greek fights and the subject of this piece depicts the violence that such a fighter suffered.
The statue was made in parts which were then assembled through a welding technique available to the ancient Greeks at the time. The inlaid copper helps to graphically represent the blood that would result from the vicious aspect of the boxing matches. Known for their humanity, this Greek statue definitely strives to portray a darker side of humanity.
The hands and feet of the statue are worn because it was very likely believed that the statue had healing powers in antiquity. This is perhaps one of its purposes: to serve as a restorative or as an object of veneration in order to gain protection for one's family, self or city.
The statue is important because it reveals the fine craftsmanship of Greek sculpture and the care they took in representing realistic human beings from real life. The Greeks took pride in representing real life and real humanity -- and the Boxer is a perfect example of that pride. It is also important because it and other statues like it served as guides to later works of art for generations to come, even as late as the late Renaissance when sculptors like Michelangelo were rediscovering the ancient works of Greece and using them as inspiration. The Boxer is a work that captures a time and place (ancient Greece) exceedingly well -- and yet also captures a piece of humanity that we can still recognize today: the battered and bruised boxer who, despite his scars and cuts, still touches us by his deeply felt humanity.
The Figure of Isis-Aphrodite
Dating from the 2nd century AD in Egypt, this 20 in. tall statue comes from the country of Egypt and combines the Egyptian goddess Isis with some concept of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, to form a sensual Isis-Aphrodite goddess statuette.
Made from clay, this terracotta figurine is covered in black, red, brown and pink-white glaze. Isis-Aphrodite represents fertility and is the symbol of marriage and conception -- the life-giving force that makes new things possible and brings a rejuvenating breath to nature.
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