Assyrian Palace Sculptures [Hardcover]

Paul Collins (Author), Lisa Baylis (Photographer), Sandra Marshall (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009

Between the ninth and seventh centuries BC, the small kingdom of Assyria in northern Iraq expanded to dominate the region from Egypt to Iran. The power of the Assyrian kings was reflected in a series of magnificent palaces in which the walls of principal rooms and courtyards were lined with huge panels of alabaster carved with images of the monarch as priest, victorious warrior, and hunter. These sculptures constitute some of the most impressive witnesses of the ancient Middle East, and this book serves as a superb visual introduction to what are undoubtedly some of the greatest carvings from the ancient world. The book showcases a series of specially taken photographs of the British Museum's unrivaled collection of Assyrian sculptures. The images capture the majesty of the Assyrian king, as well as his magnificent court and its protecting divinities. An introduction sets the sculptures in their cultural and art historical context. A brief history of Assyria and the royal palaces is followed by an overview of the subject matter and meaning of the sculptures together with a discussion of their relationship with the artistic traditions of ancient Iraq and the wider region. There is also an exploration of the sculptures as the earliest examples of complex narrative art that developed from summary or symbolic scenes of royal achievements into images with multilayered meanings that occupied entire rooms and captured the raw emotion and energy of animals and humans with remarkable vitality.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

PAUL COLLINS is curator of Later Mesopotamian antiquities at the British Museum in London. For five years, he was Assistant Curator in the Department of Near Eastern Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He is the author of numerous publications on ancient Mesopotamia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292721692
• ISBN-13: 978-0292721692
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #860,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Panorama of Iraq 875 - 620 BC, December 14, 2010

By 

Susan Southworth "author" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Assyrian Palace Sculptures (Hardcover)

Once located in what is today northern Iraq, the major cities of the Assyrian Kingdom have left behind massive artistic treasures in glazed brick, painted walls, and low relief sculptures carved in gypsum and limestone wall panels. Discovered in the 19th century, these superb sculptures are as powerfully attractive as the finest art of any era. The panorama of life in Assyria is spread before us in vivid low relief:

Fir trees line the banks of the Tigris River.

Sheep, deer, wild pigs roam through marshland reeds.

Hunters carry their kill out of the forest.

A foreign visitor brings a monkey on a leash as tribute to the ruler.

Rebels hang impaled on stakes.

Captives in rope gangs drag a newly completed stone sculpture from the quarry.

The king's chariot pulled by splendid horses contrasts with a simple wagon carrying refugee women to an unknown future.

Gigantic courtiers and tribute-bearers as tall as the wall approach the king in a formal procession.

Sculpted in three-quarters round, colossal lamassu -human-headed lions or winged bulls--guarded the gates and entrances of the palaces. In person, the scale and forceful presence of the major figures command all our attention. Thanks to the crisp detail in these large format photos by Lisa Baylis and Sandra Marshall, this art can be intimately comprehended in this book. The text by the curator of the Mesopotamian collections of the British Museum supports the photographs.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A front row seat in the imperial palace!, February 13, 2011

By 

Craig Spooner (Fort Collins, Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Assyrian Palace Sculptures (Hardcover)

I checked this book out from my university library nearly a year ago, and now, after the maximum number of extensions, am sadly having to return it. The book has provided a new thrill each time I've open it. The stories depicted on stone are described from the perspective of the Assyrian viewers who beheld them in the imperial palaces 2,600 years ago. The photography is stupendous! I would call this the ultimate coffee table book for someone who loves ancient art.