{
"data": {
"id": 122979,
"accession_number": "1943.246",
"share_license_status": "CC0",
"tombstone": "Saluting Protective Spirit, 883\u2013859 BCE. Neo-Assyrian (911\u2013609 BCE), Iraq, Nimrud, Northwest Palace, reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883\u2013859 BCE). Gypsum; overall: 229.9 x 137 cm (90 1/2 x 53 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1943.246",
"current_location": "102A Ancient Near East",
"title": "Saluting Protective Spirit",
"creation_date": "883\u2013859 BCE",
"creation_date_earliest": -883,
"creation_date_latest": -859,
"artists_tags": [],
"culture": [
"Neo-Assyrian (911\u2013609 BCE), Iraq, Nimrud, Northwest Palace, reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883\u2013859 BCE)"
],
"technique": "gypsum",
"support_materials": [],
"department": "Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art",
"collection": "Near Eastern Art",
"type": "Sculpture",
"measurements": "Overall: 229.9 x 137 cm (90 1/2 x 53 15/16 in.)",
"dimensions": {
"overall": {
"height": 2.299,
"height_inch": 90,
"height_inch_fraction": 0.5,
"width": 1.37,
"width_inch": 53,
"width_inch_fraction": 0.9375
}
},
"state_of_the_work": null,
"edition_of_the_work": null,
"copyright": null,
"inscriptions": [
{
"inscription": null,
"inscription_translation": "(Property of) the palace of Assurnasirpal (II), vice-regent of Assur, chosen of Enlil and Ninurta, beloved of Anu and Dagan, destructive weapon of the great gods, strong king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Tukulti-Ninurta (II), great king, strong king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Adad-nerari (II), great king, strong king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, valiant man who acts with the support of Assur, his lord, and has no rival among the princes of the four quarters, marvelous shepherd, fearless in battle, mighty flood-tide which has no opponent, the king who subdues those insubordinate to him, he who rules all peoples, strong male who treads upon the necks of his foes, trampler of all enemies, he who breaks up the forces of the rebellious, the king who acts with the support of the great gods, his lords, and has conquered all lands, over all the highlands has gained dominion and received their tribute, capturer of hostages, he who is victorious over all countries. When Assur, the lord who called me by name (and) made my sovereignty supreme, placed his merciless weapon in my lordly arms, the extensive troops of the Lullumu I felled in battle. With the help of the \u0160ama\u0161 and Adad, the gods my supporters, the troops of the lands Nairi, the land \u1e2aab\u1e2bu, the land \u0160ubaru, and the land Nibur, like Adad the devastator, I thundered over them. The king who subdued (the territory stretching) from the opposite bank of the Tigris to Mount Lebanon and the Great Sea, the entire land Laqu (and) the land Su\u1e2bu including the city Rapiqu. He conquered from the source of the river Subnat to the land Urartu. (The territory stretching) from the passes of mount Kirruri to the land Gilzanu, from the opposite bank of the Lower Zab to the city Til Bari which is upstream from the land Zaban, from the city Til-\u0161a-Abt\u0101ni to the city Til-\u0161a-Zabd\u0101ni, the cities of \u1e2airimu, \u1e2aarutu, (which are) fortresses of Kardunia\u0161, I brought (those lands) within the boundaries of my land. I accounted (the people) from the passes of Mount Babitu to Mount \u1e2aaszmar as people of my land. In the lands over which I gained dominion I always appointed my governors. They entered servitude. Assurnasirpal (II), attentive prince, worshipper of the great gods, ferocious dragon, conqueror of cities and the entire highlands, king of lords, encircle of the obstinate, crowned with splendor, fearless in battle, merciless hero, he who stirs up strife, praiseworthy king, shepherd, protection of the (four) quarters, the king whose command disintegrates mountains and seas, the one who by his lordly conflict has brought under one authority ferocious (and) merciless kings from east to west: The city of Kal\u1e2bu of old, which Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, a prince who preceded me, had built\u2014this city had become dilapidated, it lay dormant. I took people which I had conquered from the lands over which I gained dominion, from the land Su\u1e2bu, (from) the entire land of Laqu, (from) the city Sirqu which is at the crossing of the Euphrates, (from) the entire land of Zamua, from Bit-Adini, and the land \u1e2aatti and from Lubarna, the Patinu. I settled them therein. I cleared away the old ruin hill (and) dug down to water level. Down to a depth of 120 layers of brick I sank (the foundation pit). A palace of cedar, cypress, dapr\u0101nu-juniper, boxwood, meskannu-wood, terebinth, and tamarisk, as my royal residence (and) for my lordly leisure for eternity, I founded (it) therein. Beasts of mountains and seas in white limestone and parutu (-alabaster), I made (replicas of them) (and) stationed (them) at their doors. I decorated it in a splendid fashion; I surrounded it with knobbed nails of bronze. Doors of cedar, cypress, dapr\u0101ni-juniper, (and) meskannu-wood, I hung in its doorways. Silver, gold, tin, bronze, iron, booty from the lands over which I gained dominion, I took in great quantities and put therein.",
"inscription_remark": "The translation is of the full standard inscription, which continues beyond the CMA relief.",
"sortorder": null
}
],
"exhibitions": {
"current": [
{
"id": 705279,
"title": "ArtLens Reimagined: The Intersection of Art, Technology, and Innovation",
"description": "ArtLens Reimagined: The Intersection of Art, Technology, and Innovation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 23, 2026-September 1, 2031).",
"opening_date": "2026-07-23T04:00:00"
}
],
"legacy": []
},
"provenance": [
{
"description": "Excavated by Austen Henry Layard at the palace of Ashur-nasirapal II in Calah (Nimrud)",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": [],
"date": "1847",
"sortorder": 1
},
{
"description": "Gift of Dr. Henry John Lobdell (Class of 1849), to Amherst College",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "1847-1852/1856?",
"sortorder": 2
},
{
"description": "Amherst College, sold in even exchange for lot of objects to Joseph Brummer Gallery",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": [],
"date": "1885-1942",
"sortorder": 3
},
{
"description": "(Joseph Brummer Gallery, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "1942-1943",
"sortorder": 4
},
{
"description": "The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "1943-",
"sortorder": 5
}
],
"find_spot": "palace of Ashur-nasirapal II in Calah (Nimrud)",
"related_works": [],
"former_accession_numbers": [],
"did_you_know": "The details of his garments are painstakingly rendered; he wears a long fringed cloak with tassels over a shorter kilt and an under tunic.",
"early_education_description": null,
"artlens_description": "Reproduction of Saluting Protective Spirit, 883\u2013859 BCE
Gypsum
Neo-Assyrian (91\u2013609 BCE), Iraq, Nimrud, Northwest Palace, reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883\u2013859 BCE)
Learn about this artwork\u2019s historical context:
Notice the large size of this sculpture. It is almost seven-and-a-half-feet tall! What message do you think it sends? Look at the raised right hand, wings, and strong muscles. The figure is a spirit offering fierce protection. Today it is one color, but long ago it was brightly painted.
The small carvings across the surface are a type of writing. It tells stories about a king\u2019s victories. Nearly 3,000 years ago, this sculpture was one of hundreds that decorated a royal palace.
Imagine standing in front of many of these figures. How would you feel as a visitor to the palace?
This is a reproduction. To see the real sculpture, visit gallery 102A.
Purchase from the J.H. Wade Fund 1943.246
INTERACTIVE
Reveal the pigments that once decorated this artwork with Paint the Past
Wave your hand to restore the object\u2019s former colors and surroundings and to uncover a vivid layer of its history.",
"description": "Striding forward with muscular arms and legs, this winged deity offers a gesture of salutation along with symbols of agricultural bounty. Inscribed with an account of the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II's military conquests and victories, this relief once stood alongside hundreds of similar ones that decorated the palace at Nimrud.",
"external_resources": {
"wikidata": [
"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60750136"
],
"internet_archive": [
"https://archive.org/details/clevelandart-1943.246-saluting-protective"
]
},
"citations": [
{
"citation": "Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI), no. P427317: Nimrud NW Palace Relief Slab S-06.",
"page_number": null,
"url": "https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P427317"
},
{
"citation": "Englund, Klaudia.\"Room S\", The Northwest Palace at Nimrud. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI).",
"page_number": "S-6",
"url": "https://cdli.ucla.edu/projects/nimrud/rooms/s.html"
},
{
"citation": "Layard, Austen Henry. The Monuments of Nineveh: From Drawings Made on the Spot. London: J. Murray, 1849.",
"page_number": "Plate 37 of vol. 1, Map: No. 9 Room S",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "Malcolm, Vaughn. The International Studio (Feb. 1927)",
"page_number": null,
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "Worcester Art Museum Bulletin (Oct. 1930)",
"page_number": null,
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "Plough, Harold. \"The Natural History of the Assyrian Bas-Reliefs.\" Amherst Graduate Quarterly (May 1934).",
"page_number": "pp. 195-201",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "Hollis, Howard. \"An Assyrian Relief of a Winged Deity.\" The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 30, no. 7 (1943): 105, 108-111.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 105; Mentioned: p. 108-111",
"url": "https://www.jstor.org/stable/25141073"
},
{
"citation": "Art Quarterly VI (Summer 1943).",
"page_number": "pp. 224-227",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "The Brummer Gallery Records. Cloisters (Museum), n.d.",
"page_number": "N5334",
"url": "https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16028coll9/id/18427"
},
{
"citation": "The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 667",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n123"
},
{
"citation": "\"Treasures from Cleveland,\" Apollo 78 (December 1963).",
"page_number": "p. 441",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 10",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n34"
},
{
"citation": "The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 10",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n32"
},
{
"citation": "The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 3",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n23"
},
{
"citation": "Tortora, Phyllis G., and Keith Eubank. A Survey of Historic Costume. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1989.",
"page_number": "p. 18, fig. 2.5",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 6",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1991/page/n21"
},
{
"citation": "Cleveland Museum of Art. Masterpieces from East and West. New York, NY: Rizzoli International, 1992.",
"page_number": "p. 17",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "Tortora, Phyllis G., and Keith Eubank. A Survey of Historic Costume: A History of Western Dress. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1994.",
"page_number": "p. 10, fig. 2.5",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "May, Sally Ruth, Jane Takac, and Barbara J. Bradley. Knockouts: A Pocket Guide. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001.",
"page_number": "No. 2, pp. 6-7",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "Cleveland Museum of Art, David Franklin, and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012.",
"page_number": "pp. 31-31",
"url": null
},
{
"citation": "Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: P. 68-69",
"url": ""
},
{
"citation": "Biro, Yae\u0308lle, Christine E. Brennan, and Christel H. Force. The Brummer Galleries, Paris and New York: Defining Taste from Antiquities to the Avant-Garde. Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2023.",
"page_number": "Mentioned: p. 485; reproduced: p. 487, fig. c..3",
"url": ""
}
],
"url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1943.246",
"images": {
"annotation": null,
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"alternate_images": [],
"creditline": "Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund",
"image_credit": null,
"sketchfab_id": "e059aaa709694929abcd87c2411c1a06",
"sketchfab_url": "https://sketchfab.com/models/e059aaa709694929abcd87c2411c1a06",
"gallery_donor_text": "Barbara S. Robinson Gallery",
"athena_id": 122979,
"creators": [],
"legal_status": "accessioned",
"accession_date": "1943-02-03T00:00:00",
"sortable_date": -883,
"date_added_to_oa": null,
"date_text": "883\u2013859 BCE",
"collapse_artists": false,
"on_loan": false,
"recently_acquired": false,
"record_type": "object",
"conservation_statement": null,
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"cover_accession_number": null,
"is_nazi_era_provenance": false,
"impression": null,
"alternate_titles": [
"Winged Genie Pollinating Date Palm",
"Winged Genie"
],
"is_highlight": true,
"updated_at": "2026-09-10 17:00:33.829000"
}
}