Panel with a tree pattern
Unknown Artist
ca. 8th century BCE
Medium
Ivory, wood (modern)
Dimensions
13 7/8 × 19 5/8 × 6 in., 5.5 lb. (35.2 × 49.8 × 15.2 cm)
Classification
Ivory/Bone-Reliefs-Inscribed
Culture & Period
Assyrian · Neo-Assyrian
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.107.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Neo-Assyrian ivory panel, dating to around the 8th century, showcases the refined artistry of ancient Assyrian craftsmen. Carved in low relief and classified as an inscribed ivory, it features a delicate tree pattern—a motif deeply symbolic in Mesopotamian culture, often representing sacred trees linked to fertility, life, and divine protection. Discovered among luxurious furnishings from Assyrian palaces, such panels adorned furniture like thrones and beds, reflecting the empire's wealth and power during its imperial height under kings like Sargon II and Sennacherib. Crafted f...