Maybe you’ve stumbled upon one of these ancient and colossal lamassu at a museum. They’re stunning massive mythological protective genies originating from Assyrian. And they’re full of surprises.
They’re depicted as a human-headed winged bull (or lion). And they’re colossal. The one in the Louvre reaches up to 4 meters (13 feet) high.
Here they are from the front.
Lamassu’s Five Legs
I’ve discussed another humanoid winged creature, but there’s something especially unique about the Lamassu sculptures.
Notice anything? Look again with a focus on the legs.
They have five legs.
Beautiful.
But why do they have five legs?
Maybe ancient Assyrians couldn’t or didn’t prefer to actually carve into the stone without breaking the sculpture. If you google Assyrian art you’re likely to find mostly bas-relief sculptures. I’m definitely not an expert and couldn’t say if that’s the case. There are some Assyrian sculptures in the round sculptures though. But maybe the five-leg appearance is really down to logistics.
However, the MET argues something more compelling –
The sculptor gave these guardian figures five legs so that they appear to be standing firmly when viewed from the front but striding forward when seen from the side. Lamassu protected and supported important doorways in Assyrian palaces.
So if they were situated at the front of temples they were meant to intimidate and protect.
Imagine this scenario in 700 BCE: You’re visiting Sargon II’s temple. At the entrance are two monumental lamassu intimidatingly smiling down at you. They’re standing still. You’ve never seen anything like that before. You dare to pass them. You’re walking past them and you sneak a glance at them. Wait, is it walking now?
Maybe you’d run inside or run away. Either way, it would be awe-inspiring or terrible (in the original sense of the word).
Truth be told. I doubt the lamassu actually tricked people into thinking they were moving. But, they succeed at giving an illusion of movement. For the lamassu to essentially have two stances depending on where you are standing is ingenious. It’s an accomplished concept of mixing sculpture in the round and high relief sculpture.
There’s so much detail in these. Look at the lion’s feet on the right. And the bulls of the left. Maybe the ruler wanted to emphasize two sets of strength – I’m not sure. But they’re beautiful.
The Lamassus Today
Unfortunately, there are not many lamassu left. About six notable pairs exist today in Persepolis, the MET, British Museum, the Louvre, Chicago and Baghdad. You probably heard of the sack of Nineveh in 2015 by ISIS. Some in situ have been destroyed.
Art is politically fraught. Unfortunately, these ancient stunning lamassu became targets as “idols” in a sad loss to global culture. Some hold hope that some artefacts were “salvaged”, that is, looted but not destroyed. Like a lot of stolen art, maybe they’ll pop up somewhere in the centuries to come. I hope the lamassu will be so lucky.
However, these incidents have brought attention to these guardians. The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square hosted a “resurrected” lamassu in 2018.
But, there’s a part of me that wishes I could see these behemoths still guarding a palace. Smiling intimidatingly down at any potential intruder.
