- Burney Relief
The Burney Relief, named after a former owner, is the common term for an early
2nd millennium BC (ca. 1950 BC)Mesopotamia n (Babylonia n, notSumerian orAssyria n, as sometimes described) terracotta relief of a nude winged goddess-like figure witheagle 's talons, flanked byowl s and perched upon supinelion s. Apart from its distinctive iconography, the piece is noted for its relatively large size (ht. 49 cm) and consequent high relief; though figurative terracotta relief plaques are a feature of the Old Babylonian period, they are normally of much smaller dimensions. Though in private ownership for many years, the relief was well known through its former on-loan exhibition in theBritish Museum inLondon . In 2003 it was bought by the Museum as part of its 250th anniversary celebrations and renamed "Queen of the Night", and since then has toured museums around Britain, withpagan s in some locations being allowed to organize religious ceremonies in her honour. The figure has been identified with the Sumerian "Kisikil-lilla-ke" of theGilgamesh epos , and, somewhat improbably, with 7th century BC Babylonian Lilitu. Otherwise, she has been identified as the goddessInanna (Sumerian) orIshtar (Babylonian) in the myth of her visit to theUnderworld , but the Underworld symbolism is now taken to suggest the most likely identification to be the goddessEreshkigal , Inanna's sister and Queen of the Underworld. Some assert, based on the symbology and similar depictions, that it might actually be the Egyptian/Caananite goddessAnat . [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Topics/Lilith/ancPics.html]The piece has sometimes, on stylistic grounds, been regarded as not genuine, but scientific testing now appears to confirm its authenticity. A very similar relief dating to roughly the same period is preserved in the Musée du
Louvre (AO 6501).References
*F. Davis, "A puzzling "Venus" of 2000 B.C.: a fine Sumerian relief in London". "The Illustrated London News". 13 June 1936 (issue 5069) 1047.
*D. Opitz, "Die vogelfüssige Göttin auf den Löwen". "Archiv für Orientforschung" 11 (1936-37), 350-353.
*E.D. Van Buren, "A further note on the terra-cotta relief". "Archiv für Orientforschung" 11 (1936-37), 354-357.
*H. Frankfort, "The Burney Relief". "Archiv für Orientforschung" 12 (1937-39), 128-135.
*Th. Jacobsen, "Pictures and pictorial language (the Burney Relief)". In: M. Mindlin, M.J. Geller and J.E. Wansbrough, eds., "Figurative Language in the Ancient Near East," 1-11. London: University of London School of Oriental and African Studies.External links
* [http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/t/the_queen_of_the_night_relief.aspx thebritishmuseum.ac.uk]
ee also
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Bird goddess
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