Fragment of an Ivory Plaque: Winged Genie before a Palmette Tree, Facing Right
Unknown · Neo-Assyrian period, eighth century BC
A winged female genie stands in profile facing right before a tree of stylised palmettes and scrolls. She wears the Egyptian double crown, a long wig and a long dress; purple stains on the foliage show where gold leaf once lay. The plaque, nearly eight centimetres high, is the mirror image of the one displayed beside it, and the two were designed as a symmetrical scene with two genies flanking a tree. Here the right-hand genie and part of the tree are missing. On the back, along the upper edge, the ivory shows a rough tear where it was ripped from its mount.
Winged protective spirits flanking a sacred tree is a theme shared by Assyrian palace reliefs and Phoenician ivories, though the Phoenicians dressed their spirits as Egyptians. This fragment was found near the north wall of room fourteen in the Building of the Ivories at Arslan Tash, the Assyrian residence at ancient Hadatu in northern Syria, during François Thureau-Dangin's 1928 excavations. It came to the Louvre in the partage of 1929, and the matching plaque allows the whole composition to be reconstructed.
Did You Know? Together with its twin in the same case, this fragment lets you rebuild the complete scene: two winged genies guarding a tree.
Unlock the Full Guide
Read every room and listen to every work in all museums with premium.