The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 2, 2023

"Foundation Nail" of Gudea

c. 2100 BC

Neo-Sumerian, Iraq, probably Lagash, c. 2100 BC

Copper alloy, lost-wax cast

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.)

John L. Severance Fund 1990.31

Location

102A Ancient Near East

Fun Fact

The ruler Gudea placed one of these special nails in every temple he built in order to commemorate it.

Citations
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
Kozloff, Ariellé P. "Notable Acquisitions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 78, no. 3 (1991): 63-147. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 66 www.jstor.org
Quenet, Philippe. Ana ziqquratim: sur la piste de Babel. Strasbourg: Presses Universitaires de Strasbourg, 2016. Reproduced: p. 188, fig. 6A
Exhibition history

Notable Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 15, 1991).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1990.31