our illustrations, Figure 7 (pi. 2) shows us one of the sculptures which decorated the main entrance of the palace of Sargon at Khorsabad; it represents Izdubar, the prototype of the Greek I Ierakles, throttling a lion. The treatment of the hair in curls reminds us of the representations of the same god upon Chaldrean cylinders, though the beard is treated ill the conventional Assyrian fashion, with its curls in parallel horizontal lines; he wears the short hunting-costume. We can hardly fail to notice the exaggerated accentuation of the muscles as con trasted with the lack of attention given to the exhibition of bodily form. In the twisting of the lower limbs into profile we see an inexperience which is exhibited also in Egyptian bas-reliefs and persisted through the earlier periods of Greek art.
Assurnazirfial and 11.—In Figures S and 9 the inattention to the portrayal of the body is still more marked, as is also the increased attention given to ornamental details. Figure S represents the king Assurnazirpal holding in his right hand a sceptre and in his left a sword. He wears the long royal robe, which, like the divided chasuble that covers it, is decorated with ornamental designs and a fringe; upon his head is the royal tiara, in shape like a stepped cone. In Figure 9 WC see a later king, Sargon II., with tiara and robes more highly onion] en fed.
If ThAred all the remains of Assyrian sculpture, the most characteristic and striking are the human-headed winged bulls (fig. f); they stood ill pairs at the entrance of the palaces. Twenty-six pairs of these gigantic bulls guarded the various portals of Sargon's palace at Khorsabad. Uniting the body and the horns of a bull, the mane and,
sometimes, the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle and the head of a man, they may have resulted from a combination of divinities or divine qualities which we find symbolized ill these separate forms elsewhere. When this particular combination originated is unknown; it has not been found in Chaldman art, although in Assyria it appears to have reached a fixed stage of development. Architecturally, these winged bulls were decorative, not constructive or supporting, members. The double pur poie they had to serve, that of adorning at once the front and interior of the entrance-portal, led to the peculiarity of giving them five legs. Had not an extra leg been added, they would have appeared as three-legged when seen from the entrance-hall. Another resulting peculiarity is that when viewed from the side they appear to be striding, but from the front seem to stand still with the forefeet firmly planted on the ground. The inscriptions tell us that the winged bulls were looked upon as protecting genii; one name for them was kiriba. Thus they appear as prototypes of the cherubim of the Jews, and reach even to Christian art in the well known symbols of the four evangelists.
in Figure ro (p. 2) we have one of the finest reliefs of the time of Assurnazirpal, representing the king hunting lions. Besides the vigorous action which is here so well indicated, there are a symmetry and a sense of proportion which should not escape notice.