Neo-Assyrian wall panel
- Gallery: Room 10a
- Culture: Neo-Assyrian
- Date: 700BC-692BC
- Object type: wall panel, relief
- Materials: gypsum
- Museum number: 124912
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is a wall panel from the Neo-Assyrian period, carved from gypsum. It shows a scene from the court of King Sennacherib, featuring his grand tent and finely detailed horses. In the foreground stands a chariot, and surrounding the scene are attentive bodyguards, their presence reinforcing the majesty of their ruler.
This relief comes from the South West Palace at Nineveh, and dates to between 700 and 692 BCE. The fine craftsmanship of the carving reveals the high level of artistic skill the Neo-Assyrians applied to royal depictions. Gypsum was a favored material for such panels, allowing intricate details in the robes, animals, and even the structure of the tent.
The original carvings would have been brightly painted, though traces of color are now lost to time. This piece is part of a larger set that once adorned the walls of a powerful Assyrian king’s palace.
See it in person
Neo-Assyrian wall panel is on display in Room 10a at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
New, in beta. British Museum support has just launched and is still improving: over 1,000 objects so far, with more added all the time.
