GUENNOL LIONESS
This 5000 year old statue recently sold at Sothebys Auction House on December 5th, 2007 for a record "SMASHING" $57.2 million dollars ( Previously 28.6 million dollars paid for "Artemis and the Stag, a 2,000-year-old bronze figure which sold also at Sotheby's in New York in June, 2007 and held the record for the most expensive antiquity to be sold at auction.......Why? you ask? This Mesopotamian "Lioness Demon" artifact was described by Sothebys as..."one of the last known masterworks from the dawn of civilization remaining in private hands." Ironically, this relic was discovered near Baghdad, Iraq ( I'm in Baghdad...how wierd is that!!) and its origins are thought to be in Elam, now known as Southwest Iran.
The piece is made of crystalline limestone and is approximatly 3 1/4", depicts a anthropomoprphic lioness possibly used as a Talisman to ward off evil although its exact function is unknown. There are holes at the back that may have been used to wear it as a necklace. The lower legs are missing and were believed to have been made of gold or silver. Its historical significance is that it was created at about the same time when the first known use of the wheel, the development of cuneiform writing, and the emergence of the first cities were recorded. The piece was expected to fetch up to $18 Million dollars, however, it was worth far more to an English collector. Its home has been the Brooklyn Museum of Art since 1948 and it was owned by Alastair Bradley Martin. Guennol (pronounced GWEN-ol) is Welsh for Martin.
A great deal of ancient Near East deities were represented in anthropomorphic figures, i.e. merged human and animal features. Such humanlike animal images evoked the Mesopotamians' belief in attaining power over the physical world by combining the superior physical attributes of various species.The nearby Sumerians possibly borrowed this powerful artistic hybrid from the Proto-Elamites. Maybe they will include here in the "THUNDERCATS" movie that is in pre-production!
