Publication Date
Perhaps in 743/744 AD
Publication Place
-
Museum of Islamic Art
Subject
Carved and polished limestone.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 72سم؛ الطول: 122سم؛ العرض: 42سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
I. 6171
Record ID
object;ISL;de;Mus01;2;ar
Library Location
Museum of Islamic Art
Date
Perhaps in 743/744 AD
Notes
A lion crouching on a square base. Well preserved except for the missing front legs and the face that was intentionally smashed. The lion lies on its hind legs and rests on its front legs so that its entire body is on the ground. His head is raised and facing forward, but the shattering he suffered no longer allows him to see the details. As for his mane, which extends from the ears to the origin of his neck between the shoulders, it extends in the form of short, flat braids that wrap around his shoulders and back. Its ribs and the ends of its rib cage appear in the form of flat grooves. As for its tail, it hangs on a pole that is almost circular. As for its paws, they are clearly wide and long and attached to its body. The posture of this slender animal seems to express tense caution. Lion's paws were found separate from this statue and may have belonged to it. However, it could also be an indication of another lion statue that was being prepared to be placed symmetrically with the first in the reception wing. Lions were an essential component of icon paintings depicting rulers in late antiquity or even in the Sasanian era, and the Umayyad caliphs may have maintained this tradition. This is clearly seen in the two lions carrying the platform of the Caliph standing in Khirbet al-Mafjar, indicating that this tradition was kept alive in the Umayyad era. However, similar single lion statues dating back to the Umayyad era have not yet been discovered anywhere else.
Sample Text
Annette Hagedorn “Crouching Lion from the Winter” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;de;Mus01;2;ar