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Apkallu-figure

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Ancient Middle Eastern Art, The Hagop Kevorkian Gallery, 3rd Floor
Ancient Assyrians believed that eagle-headed beings with human bodies, called apkallū, were endowed by the gods with extraordinary wisdom. Apkallū were thought to have helped build the great cities, and it was believed that they ensured the well-being of the cities’ inhabitants. Small, clay eagle-headed figurines have been discovered buried in the walls of Assyrian buildings, probably inserted to protect against evil.
MEDIUM Gypsum stone, pigment
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS
DATES ca. 883–859 B.C.E.
PERIOD Neo-Assyrian Period
DIMENSIONS 90 9/16 x 42 3/16 in. (230 x 107.2 cm) Approximate weight: 1950 lb. (884.51kg)  (show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER 55.149
CREDIT LINE Purchased with funds given by Hagop Kevorkian and the Kevorkian Foundation
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Alabaster relief, standing, winged genie with bird-head, facing left; right arm raised with cone, left hand clasps bucket. Incomplete "Standard inscription" across center of relief. Right side joins with 55.150. Condition: Relief broken horizontally into three sections. Chipped along breaks.
CAPTION Assyrian. Apkallu-figure, ca. 883–859 B.C.E. Gypsum stone, pigment, 90 9/16 x 42 3/16 in. (230 x 107.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by Hagop Kevorkian and the Kevorkian Foundation, 55.149. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 55.149_at_PS11.jpg)
IMAGE overall, after treatment, 55.149_at_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2021
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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