Statuette of the God Shamash in the Brooklyn Museum, March 2010

Syrian Statuette of the God Shamash

Shamash, a Near Eastern sun god, is shown seated. His helmet is decorated in relief with horns and topped by a sun disk, which may have been copied from representations of Egyptian solar deities. Shamash’s fine features and full, pointed beard are typically Syrian; his eyes were once inlaid. His arms are bent forward, with the hands partially preserved. He wears a mantle with a thick border over a kilt with a fringed hem.

Medium: Copper

Place Made: Syria

Dates: ca. 1700-1600 B.C.E.

Dimensions: 5 5/16 in. (13.5 cm)

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Ancient Middle Eastern Art, The Hagop Kevorkian Gallery, 3rd Floor

Accession Number: 1995.27

Credit Line: Purchased with funds given by Shelby White, the Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, and the Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Text from: www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4284/Syrian...