Name: A Sumerian Foundation Cone of Gudea Dedicated to Ningirsu, Second dynasty of Lagash, reign of Gudea, ca. 2141-2122 BCE
Brand: Arte Primitivo
SKU: MT2507
Price: 4220.95 EUR
Availability: InStock

€4.220,95

zzgl. Versandkosten

This object qualifies for free USA shipping and a flat rate fee of $60 if shipping internationally.

Foundation cones were among the most significant commemorative objects produced in ancient Mesopotamia. Buried within the walls or foundations of temples, palaces, and other monumental buildings, they served as permanent records of royal patronage, preserving the achievements of a ruler for both the gods and future generations. This finely preserved example bears the name of Gudea, the celebrated ruler (ensi) of Lagash, whose extensive building projects during the Neo-Sumerian period transformed the sacred landscape of southern Mesopotamia.

Fashioned from buff-colored terracotta, the cone has a broad, flattened head and a tapering shaft densely impressed with cuneiform signs arranged in carefully organized vertical columns before firing. The inscription is a standard dedicatory text recording Gudea's construction, enlargement, and restoration of the É-Ninnu Anzu Babbar, the principal temple of the warrior god Ningirsu at Girsu (modern Tell el-Hiba, Iraq). The text further states that the new sanctuary was erected upon the site of an earlier temple dedicated to the same deity, emphasizing the ruler's role in maintaining the continuity of divine worship.

Ningirsu was the patron deity of Girsu and the supreme god of the state of Lagash. Closely associated with kingship, agriculture, military power, and justice, he occupied a central place in the religious and political identity of the city-state. Gudea's inscriptions consistently portray his ambitious building program as divinely ordained, presenting the ruler as the faithful steward of the gods rather than as a conquering monarch. Hundreds of similar foundation cones were originally embedded within the temple walls, creating a permanent archive proclaiming Gudea's piety and legitimizing his reign.

Medium: Teracotta

Dimensions: Height: 4 1/2 inches (11.4 cm), Head diameter: 2 1/4 inches (5.7 cm)

Condition: Small losses to the head edge, wear to one side of the cuneiform inscription, and a small loss to the point. Overall intact and well preserved. Mounted on a custom museum-quality display mount.

Provenance: Jack Guevrekian, Manhassat, NY, acquired in the 1980s, thereafter private NYC collection.

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Furthermore, we conduct due diligence to ensure the item, to the best of our knowledge, has not been illegally obtained from an excavation, architectural monument, public institution, or private property. Wherever possible, reference is made to existing collections or publications.Wherever possible, reference is made to existing collections or publications.

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