The Goddess Nana Seated on a Lion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, August 2008

The Goddess Nana Seated on a Lion
Afghanistan, Hepthalite or Turkic period, 5th-6th century AD
Stucco

Accession # 1986.506.12

Nana is one of several goddesses worshiped in the western reaches of Central Asia who are emblematic of a fertile realm that results from just rule. She is identified by her lion mount and holds a large leaf-- a cornucopia-like symbol-- in her left hand. The Central Asian Nana has ties with many goddesses, such as the Near Eastern Anahita and the Mediterranean Tyche and Demeter.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.