Relief of King Ashurnasirpal II
- Audio guide stop: 213
- Gallery: Room 7
- Culture: Neo-Assyrian
- Date: 865BC-860BC
- Object type: wall panel, relief
- Materials: gypsum
- Museum number: 124531
- 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 striking wall panel from ancient Assyria, titled "Relief of King Ashurnasirpal II." This Neo-Assyrian artwork was created around 865 to 860 BC and features King Ashurnasirpal II, shown twice in ritual robes and holding a mace that symbolizes authority. He stands before a Sacred Tree, possibly representing life, and gestures toward a winged god—likely the sun god Shamash—who holds a ring symbolizing divine kingship. Flanking the king are protective spirits. The scene, rich with meaning, was placed behind the royal throne in a palace. Traces of red and black pigment still mark the sandals. This symmetrical relief, carved from gypsum and painted, was part of grand palace decorations—such imagery even adorned royal garments. It was discovered at Nimrud in 1846 and brought to England aboard a British naval ship.
See it in person
Relief of King Ashurnasirpal II is on display in Room 7 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 213, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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