Palmette-shaped plaque

ca. 9th–8th century BCE

Not on view

This plaque was found in Fort Shalmaneser, a royal building at Nimrud that was used to store booty and tribute collected by the Assyrians while on military campaign. Many thousands of pieces of carved ivory, probably used as furniture decoration or luxury objects, were excavated from storage rooms in the building. While not as common, carved shell and bone items were also stored at Fort Shalmaneser. This plaque was carved from a piece of shell in the shape of a palmette made up of multiple elements: several horizontal bands, from which sprout two sets of volutes, crowned by a fan-shaped palmette with two rows of differently-sized stylized fronds.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Palmette-shaped plaque
Period: Neo-Assyrian
Date: ca. 9th–8th century BCE
Geography: Mesopotamia, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu)
Culture: Assyrian
Medium: Shell
Dimensions: 1 1/4 x 1 3/4 in. (3.2 x 4.3 cm)
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1962
Object Number: 62.269.13
Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art

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