Ashurnasirpal II Hunting Lions

Ashurnasirpal II Hunting Lions is a low relief sculpture depicting Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II on a royal lion hunt. The relief is made out of alabaster and was created circa 875-860 BCE in ancient Kalhu; present day Nimrud, Iraq.

Ashurnasirpal II Hunting Lions is a large rectangular slab of rock, about 2.4 meters long and 88 to 99 centimeters tall. This is a small relief which makes it different form the other low reliefs created at this time because they were much larger and took up entire walls in comparison. The subject, of course, is Ashurnasirpal II; he is hunting some lions from his royal chariot, a passion of his that is depicted in many other reliefs of Ashurnasirpal.

The way a viewer can distinguish which figure Ashurnasirpal II form the others is because Ashurnasirpal is riding in the chariot and he is the only figure actually killing the lions. Also, Ashurnasirpal II is taller and more idealized, or perfect, than the other humans in this relief. For example, Ashurnasirpal has a very idealistic beard; it is braided so perfectly that each of his braids is the same length and width. In addition king Ashurnasirpal has some sort of arm band or bracelets that are

fairly detailed.
The horses in the relief are idealistic too, in that their manes are braided and their tales are decoratively bound. The horses also have great detail in their legs and you can see the muscles rippling in the horses legs. The horses also have beautiful decorations attached to their backs’ and chests’. This detail is to show the viewer that Ashurnasirpal II had the best and strongest horses.
Like the horses, the lions in this relief are also very muscular. The artist enhanced the muscles of these lions to show their power and might. The viewer can see the muscles tense as on lion prepares to pounce and the other cowers from being trampled by the horses. The lions were given more detail than the horses because they are of greater importance. The artist wants to show off the strength of the lions to say even though lions are very powerful beasts, they still are beaten by Ashurnasirpal II and make Ashurnasirpal look more invincible. Other details on the lions include the whiskers, razor sharp teeth, tongue, claws and paws, fold and creases of the ears, and the different textures of fur.
The title has a very literal meaning in relation to the actual relief itself in that Ashurnasirpal II is actually depicted killing lions and the name of the piece is Ashurnasirpal II Killing Lions.
Everything in this relief is proportionate in size which is odd because usually the main focal point, in this case Ashurnasirpal, would be larger than the other figures.

Even though the men are all about the same size, Ashurnasirpal is still raised and is the highest part of the relief to suggest that he as a ruler, is more important than everything and everyone around him. Also in regard to the difference between the other men and Ashurnasirpal is the way they are standing. Ashurnasirpal’s men are all standing profile but the king himself is standing in a frontal view with the exception of his head. The reason for Ashurnasirpal to be shown standing a different way from the others could be to show that he is different from everyone and that he is not equal to but greater than all other

men.
Ashurnasirpal II Killing Lions was sculpted on a material called alabaster which is a mineral that is relatively soft. Because alabaster is so soft, it is very easy to work with and is most likely the reason the artist chose to use it for the relief. This relief has many details so it would be difficult to use a material that was harder because the details would not be as sharp or clear. The texture of the surface looks generally smooth with the exception of the depth of the sculpting to show how far away or close an object or person is to the viewer. The work looks very detailed and sharp considering it was created more than 2800 years ago.
The major elements in this relief are king Ashurnasirpal, some of his warriors, lions, and horses. The sculptor layers everything in this relief in a very smooth and clear manner that makes it seem like the viewer is actually witnessing the spectacle. The layers are very realistic and the lines reconnect as soon as the object in the top layer ends.
The lines are both actual and implied in this low relief sculpture. The actual lines are very sharp clean and clear. This is surprising because of how old the piece of art is and when one takes into account how soft the mineral alabaster is; it is amazing how the picture has not faded. The implied lines in this piece are in place only because of the layers. As mentioned before, the viewer can continue the lines in their head even if a top layer interrupts the line.
The artist uses shadow to enhance the musculature of the lions and make the lions look more full and three dimensional. There are some shadows, however, that the artist might have incorporated unknowingly. These shadows cause the relief, in some places, to look like it has a back drop behind the scene instead of open air.