The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Sculpture in dolerite, a white-speckled black rock, depicting a statue of a person standing, clasping their hands in front of their chest, the head broken off. They wear an ankle-length robe, squared over rounded, broad shoulders and with only a few lines indicating layers and creases. Their bare feet stand on a circular pedestal.

Statue of Gudea

c. 2144–2124 BCE

Mesopotamia, Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, Girsu

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?

Twice in the 20th century, this headless figure was wrongly "completed" with the head 1963.680, which comes from a similar sculpture.

Description

This headless figure’s clasped hands create a distinctive gesture that recurs frequently on more than 30 recorded statues of the Mesopotamian ruler Gudea. Between c. 2144–2124 BCE, Gudea ruled as ensi (governor) of the city-state of Lagash, located in modern-day Iraq. Scholars have identified more than 2,400 inscriptions that describe his reign, which included patronage of the arts and an extensive building program. Statues like this one would have been placed in temples as stand-ins for Gudea himself, demonstrating his devotion and piety.
  • 1924-1938
    I. E. Gejou or Elias S. David
    1932-1946
    Feuerdent Collection
    1946-1963
    Elias S. David
  • Scheil, Vincent. "Nouvelles Statues de Gudea." Revue d'Assyriologie et d'Archeologie Orientale, volume 27, no. 4 (1930): 161-166, pl. V. Mentioned on page 161-166, reproduced on plate 5
    Parrot, André. Tello; Vingt Campagnes de Fouilles (1877-1933). Paris: A. Michel (1948): 167-169. Mentioned on 167, reproduced on 169, pl. XVI, b
    Shepherd, Dorothy G. “Gudea, Patési of Lagash.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 50, no. 9 (November 1963): 243–248. Mentioned: p. 244-248; Reproduced: p. 244-246, figs. 4-5 www.jstor.org
    A. P. "Gudéa, Patesi de Lagash, dans The Cleveland Museum of Art, novembre 1963, pp.243-248." Syria 41, no. 1/2 (1964): 146–47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4197449. Mentioned on 146-147
    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
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Weisberg, Gabriel P., and Janson, H. W. Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art (1975): 29. Reproduced on page 29
    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
    Johansen, Flemming. Statues of Gudea, Ancient and Modern. Copenhagen: Akademisk Forlag (1978): 23-24, 80-83. Mentioned on 23-24, reproduced on 80-83.
    Tortora, Phyllis G., and Keith Eubank. A Survey of Historic Costume: A History of Western Dress. New York: Fairchild Publications (1989): 21. Reproduced on page 21
    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
    Reade, Julian. "Early monuments in Gulf stone at the British Museum, with observations on some Gudea statues and the location of Agade." Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie 92 (2002): 276-284. Mentioned on 281 and 284
    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=c. 2144–2124 BCE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

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