Published Old Babylonian Stone Form with the Depiction of Inanna

Culture: Old Babylonian

Period: 18th century B.C.

Material: Serpentine

Dimensions: 5.3 cm high

Price: 8 000 Euro

Ref: 6643

Provenance: French private collection Nicole and Jean-Michel Thierry, acquired from Maître Maurice Rheims on 11 or 12 June 1959, lot 140. Thence in the family estate. With a copy of the publication and the relevant catalogue pages. Accompanied by a French antiquities passport.

Condition: Intact

Description: Important serpentine stone form, which depicts on the left Inanna as the warrior goddess and on the right as the goddess of sexual desire. As the warrior goddess Inanna is depicted with a beard. She wears a ribbed, cylindrical headwear with horns on the sides and a knee-length vestment with a pleated trim to the left. She holds in each arm a weapon, which rests on the shoulder. On the right is her typical sickle sword, on the left a dagger. Next to her Inanna stands as the goddess of sexual desire. She wears a ray diadem and holds with both hands her breasts. Her pelvis is round and broad, the pubic triangle is clearly accentuated. What is interesting is that the serpentine form is cut out beyond the edge at the bottom, allowing the feet to protrude in a three-dimensional manner. Published in: Jenny Danmaville “Collection Thierry”, Revue d’Assyrologie et d’archéologie orientale, 1966, vol. 60, no. 2, p. 165-170. Depicted in fig. 4.