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A Human Headed Winged Bull And Winged Lion

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The title of this sculpture is a Human-headed winged bull and winged lion. It is often called shedu or lamassu. A lamassu represents a female deity. A shedu refers to the male counterpart of a lamassu. There is no name of the artist. The Human-headed winged bull and winged lion is from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin, Neo-Assyrian. This winged lion stood in Ashurnasirpal II 's palace at Nimrud, one of the enormous stone statues of winged beasts set up at entrances and doorways to protect the king from evil and to impress all thoese who entered. It is excavated at Kalhu (modern Nimrud). The sculpture is dated to ca. 883-859 B.C. and dimensions are H. 10ft. 3 1/2 in. (313.7 cm). It is plain ivory color. It is now situated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (32.143.1–.2). Medium is gypsum alabaster. The sculpture has the head of a human male, a body of an bull or a lion, bird 's wings, and a long tail that is very long and looks like a broom. Also, the head of a human male has a shaggy beard, big eyes, the thick eyebrows, tall nose, and small lip. It wears a belt, and has five legs. A belt on the waist signifies power. Their heads are crowned with the horned caps typical of deities throughout the ancient Near East. At the facade of this sculpture, it appears to stand firmly in place. But at the side of this sculpture, it is striding forward. It was carved in colossal size, and placed as a pair. It was predominantly placed at either side of the entrances of cities,

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