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Assyrian artwork sold by Christies.

$31 Million Assyrian Relief is Causing a Great International Controversy

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A rare Assyrian stone relief has been sold in New York for the record-breaking price of $31 million, destroying the previous highest selling price for a piece of Assyrian art. Museums and collectors from all over the world engaged in a bidding war for this rare work of art resulting in tripling the estimated sale price of $10 million. The auction is one that was very controversial, as the work of art is being claimed by the government of Iraq. Many believe that the item is a stolen antiquity and should not be sold but returned to its original home.

The Assyrian panel

The relief is believed to be approximately 3000 years old and is from the Assyrian culture. The Assyrians were a war-like, Semitic-speaking people, whose homeland was in Mesopotamia and who came to dominate much of the Middle East. There are still Assyrians who live in modern-day northern Iraq, who have suffered greatly in recent years under the so-called Islamic State. The panel was once on the walls of one of the palaces of the King Ashurnasirpal II (883 to 859 BC), who during his reign conquered a large area of modern Turkey and Syria.

Detail of stele of Ashur-nasir-pal II in the British Museum, London. Assyria, 9th century BC. (Public Domain)

Detail of stele of Ashur-nasir-pal II in the British Museum, London. Assyria, 9th century BC. (Public Domain)

The relief is 7 feet (2 meters) high and is exquisitely carved and was once painted. According to the Daily Telegraph, the relief ‘depicts an Apkallu, a winged half-man demigod, carrying a bucket and a cone which signified fertility and protection of the king’. Many experts believe that it is one of the finest Assyrian, artifacts to come onto the antiquities market in recent years.

The artwork was found near modern-day Mosul by the British archaeologist Sir Austen Henry Layard, who made many important discoveries related to the Assyrian Empire. He had the permission of the Ottomans who ruled Iraq at this time, to conduct excavations. During this period many archaeological items were taken from the Ottoman Empire and sold or donated to western museums.

A Winged Genie relief, from Nimrud, Assyria (modern-day Iraq) has been sold for $31 million in New York. Neo-Assyrian Period. (Image: Brooklyn Museum)

A Winged Genie relief, from Nimrud, Assyria (modern-day Iraq) has been sold for $31 million in New York. Neo-Assyrian Period. (Image: Brooklyn Museum)

The controversy over ownership of the panel

 The sale is controversial because many believe both in the Middle East and in America that the items does not legally belong to the seminary. They argue that the item was illegally taken, and it should be returned to Iraq. They believe that the Assyrian people have a moral claim to the artwork and that the relief should be returned to them and many on social media support this view. The Iraqi Ministry of Culture urged international bodies, such as UNESCO to halt the sale but to no avail. The Ministry argued that the Ottomans did not have the authority to permit the export of the antiquity and that it legally belongs to the Iraqi people.

Christies, who managed the auction of the Assyrian artwork have, according to RT, stated that there  ‘is no legal basis for any foreign nation to claim ownership of the ancient artifact’.  The British Auction House assert that the panel was legitimately secured on the open market and that the sale of the artwork is legal. On this basis, the auction went ahead and the panel smashed the world record for an Assyrian artwork.  The previous record for an Assyrian artifact was $ 7.7 million, which was established in 1994.

The controversy over the panel is only one of many raging around the world. Many argue that some priceless antiquities in museums should be returned to their original home. In the United Kingdom, there has been a long-running debate over returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece, in a case that has many parallels with the current controversy over the Assyrian panel.  The issue of the ownership of antiquities and archaeological artifacts seems likely to drag on for many years to come.

Top image: Assyrian artwork sold by Christies.        Source: © CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2018

By Ed Whelan

 

Comments

What is missing is the true meaning of the various symbols depicted. Instead of an "acorn" interpretation, I suggest it represents the penial gland...as does everyone else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkt9OU-9h0E
Also, the wristband looks more like the 12 signs of the Zodiac. And I'm not talking about the signs of the Zodiac you see in your local newspaper. The Zodiac pre-dates Homo Sapiens. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazzaroth

Someone should tell the folks who work at the Michael C. Carlos Museum to get their collective heads out of their collective asses and rise up to higher chakras. The "acorn" in the right hand and the "man bag" in the left hand and are non-sequiturs.
https://www.color-meanings.com/chakra-colors-the-7-chakras-and-their-mea...

Cheers Pilgrims.

The Israelis claim is that ALL the land from the Tigris to the Nile is based on the "promise" Abraham's "god" made to him after he left his homeland and later chose to murder his own son. I think Abraham's "god" is a little too bloodthirsty for me. How about you?

So now, after approximately 3,000 years and millions of deaths later the Jews expect the entire world to cling to this crazy promise from their "god" even though most Jews today are atheists. Is that crazy or what? Anyway, this is my opinion.
See ya, Pilgrim. Hah!

Gary Moran's picture

Well, Everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

The U. S. is Israel's bitch and has been for decades. Israel wants hegemony in the entire Middle East but can't do so without the aid of America. The U. S. House and Senate is a "wholly-owned subsidiary" of the State of Israel.

Greater Israel is Israel's endgame. And that consists of all the land between the Tigris and Nile Rivers. That is "Eretz Israel".

Gary Moran's picture

Bad as it might have been, we toppled a functioning government and then compounded an unstable situation by leaving thousands of tons of weapons and equipment at the feet of a very destructive force. It is certainly not anything to be proud of as a country. 

No more from me that could be considered as ‘political’. 

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Ed Whelan's picture

Ed

My name is Edward Whelan and I graduated with a PhD in history in 2008. Between 2010-2012 I worked in the Limerick City Archives. I have written a book and several peer reviewed journal articles. At present I am a... Read More

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