Lama Deity

CultureAssyrian
Titles
  • Lama Deity
Date2100–2000 BC
MediumSerpentine
Dimensions4 3/4 × 7 3/4 × 3 1/2 in. (12.1 × 19.7 × 8.9 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Isabel B. and Wallace S. Wilson in honor of Caroline Wiess Law
Object number2003.417
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Antiquities
Object Type
Description

Mesopotamian lama deities were kind, protective spirits associated with the great sun god Shamash. This deity is depicted with a sensitive face, luxurious beard, and flowing locks of hair, and he wears a horned crown. The body is that of a reclining bull.


Representations of bulls with human heads are found throughout the art of Mesopotamia. In an inscription, an Assyrian king called upon lama deities to "turn back an evil person, guard the steps, and secure the path of the king who fashioned them." Several statuettes, about 4,000 years old, have survived. They come from various Sumerian sites and Syria.


This example is made from serpentine, a smooth green stone the color of life-giving water in a desert area. The hollowed-out shapes on the body originally were inlaid with pearly shell or lapis lazuli.


ProvenanceAlfred Lagneau (d. 1979), by the early-1950s–1979; by inheritance to his nephew, André Lagneau, Neuchatel, Switzerland, from 1979;[Phoenix Ancient Art, New York/Geneva, by 2003]; purchased by MFAH, 2003.
Exhibition History"The Marzio Years: Transforming the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1982–2010," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, October 25, 2020–January 10, 2021.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Head of Poseidon / Antigonos Doson
227–221 BC
Bronze
2001.150
Dionysus with Pan
50–150 AD
Marble
2009.30
Kris
17th–early 18th Century
Gold, wood, rubies
2004.2351.A,.B
Shaman Ornament
900–200 BC
Bone with turquoise inlay
2010.895
Pair of Deity Effigy Ornaments
900–200 BC
Bone with shell and stone inlays
2010.896.1,.2
Corinthian Helmet
495 BC
Bronze
2000.574
Pair of Deity Head Effigy Ornaments
900–200 BC
Spondylus shell with mother of pearl and stone inlays
2010.899.1,.2
Pair of Armbands
18th century
Gold
2004.2283.1,.2
Ring
1784
Hair on ivory, 14k rose gold, and diamonds
2005.1771