Nimrud bowls, seven-pointed star surrounded by animals
Hong Kong Museum of History, An Age of Luxury (Collection of the British Museum)Nimrud bowls with seven-pointed star surrounded by animals
Shallow copper alloy bowl: shallow, with curved sides and a flat base. The decoration is dominated by a large seven-pointed star in the centre. Between the rays of this star are inlaid silver studs and zigzag patterns. In the centre of the star and around its edges are bands of lotus flowers. Around the star are seven bands of tiny animals in procession. The representations are schematic, but the prominent horns show that the animals are meant to be stags or goats.
The Nimrud Bowls
Metal items were highly prized as war booty, as they were easy to transport and recycle. These three drinking bowls were among 100 bronze vessels and cauldrons found in a single room of the North West Palace at Nimrud, probably captured during the western campaign of King Tiglath-pileser III (ruled 744-727 BC) in 740 BC.
The bowls are elaborately decorated with pictures of flowers, animals and humans, which would gradually emerge as the contents were drunk.
Bowls
North West Palace, Nimrud, Iraq
900-600 BC
Copper alloy
N.66, N.8, N.1
Supplementary images:
Nimrud bowls with seven-pointed star surrounded by animals
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