Head of a Lion
1 of 4
Object Label
Occasionally an Egyptian artist rendered personalities from the distant past in an updated style. This stela shows the early Eighteenth Dynasty king Amunhotep I (circa 1514–1493 B.C.E.) and his mother, Ahmose-Nofretary, making an offering to Osiris, god of the dead, on behalf of a man named Nebamun. Despite the presence of Amunhotep I, the work does not date to his reign. The slanted, almond-shaped eyes, short, upturned noses, and sharply modeled outlines of the figures all characterize art from the time of Amunhotep III.
By commissioning this stela, Nebamun, whose image is now broken away, was calling on two long-dead members of the royal house to help him gain immortality.
Caption
Persian; Achaemenid. Head of a Lion, 5th–4th century B.C.E.. Bituminous limestone, pigment (Egyptian blue), 8 7/8 x 9 13/16 in. (22.6 x 25 cm). Collection of Robin B. Martin Trust, L54.3. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, L54.3_view1_PS2.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Cultures
Title
Head of a Lion
Date
5th–4th century B.C.E.
Period
Persian Achaemenid Period
Geography
Place excavated: Persepolis, south of the Council Hall, Iran
Medium
Bituminous limestone, pigment (Egyptian blue)
Classification
Dimensions
8 7/8 x 9 13/16 in. (22.6 x 25 cm)
Credit Line
Collection of Robin B. Martin Trust
Accession Number
L54.3
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Can you tell me about the Guennol collection?
The Guennol Collection, assembled by Alastair Martin and his wife, features a number of exceptional objects! Several were acquired by the museum or are on long term loan. The couple began collecting objects in the late 1940s, which they soon began offering to museums. Martin became a trustee of the Brooklyn Museum in 1948 and began lending and donating objects to the museum.The Collection is rather diverse and features art from ancient Egypt, the ancient Americas, Asian art, and American folk art. Objects from the collection can be found in numerous places around the Museum today.What's this?
This is a fragment of a lion sculpture from ancient Persia or Iran. The curving lines used to create details in the face are characteristic of Achaemenid Persian art.Tell me more.
This lion head is a fragment of a larger stone sculpture from ancient Persia or Iran. It's likely that the lion's mouth was open in a snarl, given the stylized lines and folds of skin that are emphasized on the face.
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