71 - A SMALL BRONZE FIGURE OF ASHURNASIRPAL II, NEO-ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, CIRCA 883-859 BC

A SMALL BRONZE FIGURE OF ASHURNASIRPAL II, NEO-ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, CIRCA 883-859 BC Skillfully cast, depicted standing frontally, the left hand raised to the chest and holding a large, pointed mace, while the right arm is lowered beside the body, grasping a ceremonial sickle. The figure is clad in a long tunic, his dignified face marked by deep-set eyes, a slender nose, and full lips framed by a luxuriant beard, while the long hair is surmounted by a distinctive headdress. Provenance: From a private collection in Budapest, Hungary. Condition: Good condition, with expected wear, casting irregularities, traces of weathering and corrosion, and signs of prolonged burial. The bronze with a rich, naturally grown patina with vibrant malachite encrustations. Weight: 113.8 cm Dimensions: Height 6.5 cm Ashurnasirpal II was the third king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, reigning from 883 to 859 BC and succeeding his father, Tukulti-Ninurta II. During his reign, he pursued an ambitious program of military expansion, campaigning northwards into Asia Minor as far as Nairi and exacting tribute from Phrygia, before turning westwards into Aram, in present-day Syria, where he subdued Aramaean and Neo-Hittite territories between the Khabur and Euphrates rivers. The present bronze figure faithfully reproduces the celebrated statue of King Ashurnasirpal II dedicated in the Temple of Ishtar Sharrat-niphi, intended to commemorate the piety of the king before the goddess, now held by the British Museum, registration number 118871. Literature comparison: Compare a related Urartian bronze figure of a bearded standing god, dated to the 8th-7th century BC, 21 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number 91147. C. Compare a related Babylonian bronze man and dog, dated to the c. 8th-7th century BC, 7 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 39.30.