Amulet in the form of a lion with legs extended

This small object carved from a piece of shell depicts a lion in the act of leaping, with hind legs fully extended and front legs flexed and drawn up toward the head. All features, including the head, are only rudimentarily modeled and almost entirely without detail. The carver instead emphasized the three-dimensional form of the animal: two swellings indicate the haunch and shoulder, connected by a body whose curve underscores the animal’s dynamic motion. The forms of the legs are blocky and the features of the head difficult to make out. Lions were one of the most frequently represented animals in the art of Mesopotamia from a very early period on, and were often shown in combat with an adversary, either human or supernatural. This object may have been used as an amulet, harnessing the enormous power of this fearsome animal.