Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in April 2003, thousands of pieces were looted from The Iraq Museum in Baghdad, which housed one of the world's foremost collections of Mesopotamian art. Many of these priceless works have not been recovered and may never be restored to the museum.
While this looting simply reflects the chaos that shook the country after the invasion, it also shows the immense cultural significance of works from the Neo-Assyrian Empire. To the Iraqi, and to the world, they represent the glory of the Assyrians and the importance -- perhaps now more than ever -- of appreciating those works that remain from this 3,000 year-old empire.
The Museum of Fine Art, Boston's (MFA) new exhibit, "Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum," features many captivating pieces and is well worth the $8 admission fee (with Tufts ID). The exhibit runs from Sept. 21 to Jan. 4 at the MFA and features works spread out over six rooms.
The show consists of stone reliefs from the palaces of Assyrian Kings, as well as bowls, vases, seals, small sculptures, inscribed clay tablets and furniture decorations from the Empire. The most impressive pieces are the reliefs, which are stunning not only because of their large size, but also because of the precision with which they are carved. These works closely depict the clothing, hairstyles and muscles of figures, and their sumptuous detail gives fascinating insight into the wealthy empire that at one point controlled all territory from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.
The kings of the empire built elaborate palaces with walls covered in stone reliefs that portrayed deities, protective spirits, soldiers, ceremonial acts and scenes from the lives of the kings. They were brightly painted (although the paint is now almost entirely lost) and imposing, so that all who visited the palace were made to understand the daunting power and fantastic wealth of the leader. A piece of particular interest, "Head of a Bearded Man," (Reign of Sargon II, 710-705 B.C.) is displayed in the first room of the exhibition. As the wall description indicates, it is part of a carved procession that depicts men bringing offerings to the king in the Royal Palace of Khorsabad. The man's facial features and beard are precisely carved, creating a complex and riveting portrait in stone. The relief is so realistic that it is almost as if the figure (of a big, scary Assyrian guy, nonetheless) is about to emerge from the stone depiction.
The first room gives background on the pieces in the exhibit, with an introduction describing the excavation campaign by Austen Henry Layard in Iraq during the 1840s and 1850s for the British Museum. The works in this room are among the most striking of the entire show and include a statue of King Ashurnasirpal II, which is well lit and situated on its original pedestal.
Of the rooms that follow, the exhibit's most impressive are the final two. The second and fourth rooms display bowls, vases, small sculptures, furniture decorations, seals and clay tablets that are interesting in their own right but are not as dramatic as the reliefs and objects displayed in the other spaces.
The ivory carving in the second-to-last room, "The Lioness and the African" (899-700 B.C.), studded with gold and jewels, further shows the Assyrian's knack for detail and is engaging because of its lifelike appearance. In addition, the reliefs in the final room are particularly captivating, including "Royal Lion Hunt" (Reign of Ashurnasirpal II, 875-860 B.C.), which depicts the ceremonial process and impressively displays elaborately detailed figures suspended in motion.
Assyrian art possesses great cultural significance and has become even more important because of the tragic disappearance of so many of its pieces. This art is truly captivating because of its details and its lifelike portrayals, and "Art and Empire: Treasures from the Assyrian Empire in the British Museum" does a fine job of presenting the works of this grand period. The exhibit, overall, is well laid out, dramatically lit and certainly merits a visit to this already-esteemed institution.
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Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum
At the Gund Gallery, through Jan. 4
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue
617-267-9300
