狗 - 美国大都会艺术博物馆展品查阅

品名（中）	狗
品名（英）	Dog
入馆年号	1954年，54.117.23
策展部门	古代近东艺术（Ancient Near Eastern Art）
创作者
创作年份	公元前 900 - 公元前 700
创作地区
分类
尺寸	1 1/4 × 1 9/16 × 1/2 英寸 (3.1 × 4 × 1.3 厘米)
介绍（中）	这尊雕像是用青铜铸造的，它代表了一只狗，头部以警觉的姿势向前推，尖尖的耳朵竖起，尾巴卷曲。这只狗四只脚都稳稳地站着，这表明它在观察而不是在运动。腿相对较短，身体紧凑，这表明一只狗比美索不达米亚艺术中有时被称为护卫犬的獒犬小，例如博物馆中展出的大型陶俑雕塑（1989.233）。这只小青铜与其他青铜狗一起被发现于西北宫尼姆鲁德的一口井中，以及其他宫廷家具。这些物品很可能是在公元前612年巴比伦人和伊朗人民的联盟最终击败亚述时，征服军队洗劫了宫殿，并将其扔进了井中。狗与美索不达米亚的几位神有关，尤其是治愈女神古拉。公元前第二个千年末和第一个千年初，粘土或青铜狗雕像经常被放置在建筑物的地板下，以保护建筑物免受邪恶之害，这一神奇的行为让人想起了用狗作为警惕的守护者。在尼尼微一座后来的亚述宫殿的门洞下挖掘出了五只泥狗，现在被大英博物馆收藏。这些狗被涂上了鲜艳的颜色，并刻有简短的短语，描述它们的功能，例如："邪恶的驱逐者"、"敌人的捕手"和"别想，咬人！"这只青铜狗可能具有类似的保护功能。
介绍（英）	Cast in bronze, this figurine represents a dog with head thrust forward in a posture of alertness, pointed ears pricked up, and curled tail. The dog stands solidly on all four feet, suggesting it is keeping watch rather than in motion. The legs are relatively short and the body compact, suggesting a dog smaller than the mastiffs sometimes represented as guard dogs in Mesopotamian art, such as the large terracotta sculpture on display in the museum (1989.233). This small bronze was found in a well in the Northwest Palace at Nimrud along with other bronze dogs, finely carved ivory furniture elements, and other palace furnishings. It is likely that these objects were thrown in the well by the conquering armies who looted the palace during the final defeat of Assyria by a coalition of Babylonians and Iranian peoples in 612 B.C. Dogs were associated with several Mesopotamian gods, especially the healing goddess Gula. Clay or bronze dog figurines were frequently placed under the floors of buildings to guard the structures from evil during the late second and early first millennium B.C., a magical act that recalls the use of actual dogs as watchful guardians. Five clay dogs were excavated under a doorway in a later Assyrian palace at Nineveh and are now in the collection of the British Museum. The dogs were painted vivid colors and inscribed with short phrases describing their functions, such as: "Expeller of evil," "Catcher of the enemy," and "Don’t think, bite!" The bronze dog likely had a similar protective function.