ISBN：9780714111674

书名：Assyrian Palace Sculptures

作者：Paul Collins

出版：The British Museum Press，2019（重印）

装帧：精装，144页

语种：英文

开本：25.4×25.4cm

亚述王宫雕塑，无疑是古代世界最伟大的石雕作品中的一些。自从约150年前来到大英博物馆，它们吸引了无数慕名而来的游客。

此书以丰富的彩色照片展示了大英博物馆藏亚述王宫雕塑。威严的亚述国王、他们的朝臣和守护神历历在目，连服饰上的刺绣、武器上的装饰等细节也清楚可辨。

Between the ninth and seventh centuries BCE, the small kingdom of Assyria (present-day northern Iraq) expanded through conquest from Egypt to Iran. The relief sculptures that decorated Assyrian palaces represent the high point of Mesopotamian art of the first millennium BCE, both for their artistic quality and their vivid depictions of warfare, rituals, mythology, hunting, and other aspects of Assyrian life. Together, the sculptures constitute some of the most impressive and eloquent witnesses of the ancient Near East, their importance only increasing with the recent destruction by ISIS of many of the reliefs that remained in Iraq.

Originally published by the British Museum in 2008, this book serves as a superb visual introduction to these extraordinary sculptures, showcasing a series of stunning photographs of the museum’s unrivaled collection of Assyrian reliefs. Highlighting individual panels and their often overlooked details, these images capture the majesty of Assyrian kings, their splendid courts, and protecting divinities. An introduction by Collins sets the sculptures in their cultural and art historical context, while the following chapters provide a brief history of Assyria and its royal palaces as well as an overview of the artworks’ discovery, reception, and understanding.