Artwork Page for "Foundation Nail" of Gudea

Details / Information for "Foundation Nail" of Gudea

"Foundation Nail" of Gudea

c. 2100 BCE

Mesopotamia, Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, probably Lagash

Medium
copper alloy, lost-wax cast
Measurements
Overall: 17.5 x 4.5 x 7.3 cm (6 7/8 x 1 3/4 x 2 7/8 in.); with base: 20.9 x 6.3 x 9.1 cm (8 1/4 x 2 1/2 x 3 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1990.31
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

The ruler Gudea placed one of these special nails in every temple he built in order to commemorate it.
Metal sculpture of a man kneeling and wrapping his arms around a nail almost his size. The sculpture has discolored bright green metal with hints of red-brown. The man has a beard detailed with vertical lines and wears a cone-shaped headdress with tendrils wrapping around it. His hands wrap around the top of the nail, his fingertips meeting on the other side. The nail is wide at the top before steadily narrowing to a point.

"Foundation Nail" of Gudea

c. 2100 BCE

Mesopotamia, Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, probably Lagash

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