Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Relief of Winged Man-Headed Figure Facing Right with Basket and Fircone

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Relief of Winged Man-Headed Figure Facing Right with Basket and Fircone

In Assyrian art the basket and cone almost always appear in the hands of supernatural creatures rather than humans, suggesting that these objects may have served a magical purpose. Assyrian texts refer to the basket and cone carried by the genies in many of these reliefs as a “bucket” and “purifier.” This terminology may indicate that in addition to serving to pollinate the sacred tree (as scholars have concluded), these objects had a cleansing effect as well.


• Culture: Assyrian
• Medium: Alabaster
• Place Made: Nimrud, Assyria (modern day Iraq)
• Dates: ca. 883-859 B.C.E.
• Period: Neo-Assyrian Period
• Dimensions: 90 1/4 x 79 1/8 in. (229.2 x 201 cm)
• Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Ancient Middle Eastern Art, The Hagop Kevorkian Gallery, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 55.152
• Credit Line: Purchased with funds given by Hagop Kevorkian and the Kevorkian Foundation
• Image: Overall, 55.152_bw_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Assyrian. Relief of Winged Man-Headed Figure Facing Right with Basket and Fircone, ca. 883-859 B.C.E. Alabaster, 90 1/4 x 79 1/8 in. (229.2 x 201 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by Hagop Kevorkian and the Kevorkian Foundation, 55.152 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 55.152_bw_SL1.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: Alabaster relief, winged man-headed figure wearing horned cap, standing between two incomplete date-palms. Figure faces left, fertilizing tree with cone held in right hand, usual bucket in left hand. "Standard Inscription" incised across center of relief. Condition: Broken across upper left corner with gaps on arm and head.