The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

Statue of Gudea

Statue of Gudea

2143–2142 BCE
dolerite
Overall: 126 x 55 x 36 cm (49 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 14 3/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1963.154
Location: 100 1916 Lobby

Did You Know?

Gudea was an ancient Sumerian ruler who governed the city of Lagash late in the 3rd millennium BC. This statue is missing its head, but it is identified as Gudea, the clasped hand gesture typical for representations of him. Statues like this one would have been votive dedications offered to the gods by Gudea, demonstrating his devotion and piety.

Description

Gudea was the political and religious governor of Lagash, one of the oldest Sumerian cities. More than 2,400 inscriptions mention his name and describe his 20-year campaign of city improvements, including new temples and irrigation canals. He was also a patron of the arts. Of the more than 30 statues of Gudea that survive, this is one of the finest examples. Many statues had their heads severed in an effort to destroy their ritual potency. This figure’s clasped hands create a distinctive, unnatural gesture that recurs frequently in both seated and standing versions; it may be an expression of devotion, humility, or piety.
  • Feuerdent Coll., Paris
    E. S. David
    Feuerdent Coll., Paris; (E. S. David)
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 10 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 10 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 2 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 3 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 67
  • Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).
    Year in Review (1963). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 27, 1963-January 5, 1964).
  • {{cite web|title=Statue of Gudea|url=false|author=|year=2143–2142 BCE|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1963.154