Fragment of an Ivory Plaque: Woman at the Window
Unknown · Neo-Assyrian period, eighth century BC
A second version of the Woman at the Window, a little wider than it is high at nine centimetres, survives as a fragment. The woman's head with its Egyptian wig fills the opening, and below her runs the balustrade of little columns; the square frame is partly lost. The museum record offers two names for her, the Lady at the Window and Astarte at the Window, which sums up the debate about who she is. Compare her with the complete plaque beside her: the wig, the calm frontal gaze and the columned parapet are the same, but the carving is broader.
Unlike most of the set, this piece was found in room eight rather than room fourteen of the Building of the Ivories at Arslan Tash, the Assyrian provincial residence at ancient Hadatu in northern Syria. That means at least two pieces of furniture in the building carried the motif. The ivories were excavated in 1928 by François Thureau-Dangin's mission and shared between Syria and France; this fragment came to the Louvre in the partage of 1929.
Did You Know? Two pieces of furniture in the same building carried the Woman at the Window, one in room fourteen and this one in room eight.
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