Sculpture of Assyrian deity is exhibited at Acropolis Museum

“Lamassu of Nineveh” a 2018 work by Iraqi-American sculptor Michael Rakowitz, is the astir salient portion successful the accumulation “Allspice – Michael Rakowitz & Ancient Cultures” astatine the Acropolis Museum that opened Monday and will tally until October 31.

Rakowitz was inspired by his migrant grandfather’s trade – canning homemade day syrup – to use 10,500 syrup cans successful making the sculpture. Lamassu was an Assyrian protective deity with the caput of a bearded antheral and the assemblage of a bull (sometimes a lion) with wings. Many of those adorned the Assyrian superior of Nineveh, successful present-day Iraq.

Unironically, a Lamassu was depicted successful the seal of United States Forces – Iraq. According to the depository “(t)he Athens installation brings the Lamassu into an contiguous dialog with aggregate layers of past and memory.”