New York, NY, April 7, 2016 — Standing about
a foot tall, the small yet monumental “foundation
figures” in ancient Mesopotamia were not
created to be seen by mortal eyes. Cast in
copper and placed beneath the foundation of a
building, often a temple, they were intentionally
buried from prying humans. Perhaps only
intended for the gods, they combine both
abstract and natural forms and were created at
the behest of royal rulers concerned with leaving
a record of their humanity, deeds, and
civilization.
Surviving examples are exceedingly rare and a
new exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum,
Founding Figures: Copper Sculpture from
Ancient Mesopotamia, ca. 3300–2000 B.C.,
brings together ten outstanding works,
including ancient cylinder seals, from several
public and private collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Babylonian
Collection of Yale University. With the Morgan’s own Foundation Figure of King Ur-Namma
serving as centerpiece, the show demonstrates how the medium of copper allowed sculptors to
explore a variety of forms with a fluidity not available in traditional stone, resulting in figures of
exceptional grace and delicacy. The exhibition also includes enlarged impressions of scenes
engraved on cylinder seals, maps, and other visual tools to provide visitors historical and cultural
context. Founding Figures is on view at the Morgan from May 13 through August 21.
“Pierpont Morgan, the founder of the museum, was fascinated with the art and civilizations of the
ancient world,” said Colin B. Bailey, director of the Morgan Library & Museum. “He made several
trips to the Middle East and left the Morgan an extraordinary collection of cylinder seals and other
artifacts that he had acquired. The exhibition Founding Figures continues this legacy and
demonstrates the remarkable artistry of sculptors of the period who gave us figures of
transcendent beauty.”
THE EXHIBITION
How, why, and precisely when the process of casting molten metal to form representative images
began is lost in the remotest past. However, it is clear that by 3300 B.C. in Ancient Mesopotamia,
the cradle of Western civilization, the craft of casting metal had been perfected. By this time, the
metal sculptor, through building a work from soft malleable wax, mastered the delicate fluidity of
forms and their inherent naturalism, creating figures of striking originality.
During excavations carried out from 1955 to 1958, two foundation deposits each containing a
figure of King Ur-Namma similar to the Morgan sculpture were found. The figures were placed
deep in the earth under the lowest course of the structure in deposits made of baked brick and
sealed with bitumen to make them air and water tight. The deposits were placed at the corner of
a wall or under gate towers, probably marking the principal points of the temple’s plan, and were
intended to record forever the pious works of royal builders. Upon rediscovery, they serve as a
remarkable record of a period millennia removed from modern times.
The Morgan’s Foundation Figure of King Ur-Namma features an inscription that mentions Enlil
who was the major god of the Mesopotamian pantheon. The king’s artisans created a new type of
full figure sculpture to commemorate Ur-Namma’s involvement in the construction of Enlil’s
temple. The king is shown wearing a long skirt upon which the inscription is prominently featured.
His torso is bare and his head and beard are shaved in preparation for ritual. The figure
demonstrates a restrained naturalism and calmness and is considered to be among the finest of
all foundation figures created during the third millennium B.C. Both in the gallery and on the
Morgan’s website, this exceptional piece can be viewed fully in the round.
One of the earliest surviving cast copper sculptures from Mesopotamia is Figure of a Priest King,
which dates to ca. 3300–3100 B.C. Although the figure’s identity and function are unclear, its
great musculature and full beard suggest authority and power. The figure is depicted ritualistically in heroic nudity wearing only a belt around its narrow waist. The Priest King’s complex
asymmetrical posture encourages viewing from all sides. Overall the sculpture conveys a sense
of alert, thoughtful, and assured majesty.
Foundation Figure of a Kneeling God Holding a Peg is an example of a well-preserved figurine of
a god, recognizable as such by his headgear, topped by several pairs of bull horns. By firmly
grasping the peg, the god is shown symbolically “nailing” the foundation of the temple forever to
the earth. The sculptor has conveyed a naturalism and delicate fluidity in a figure fully realized in
the round. Though immobilized by the permanence of the act itself, the muscular interaction of
the body parts is well understood. The fine facial features as well as the deity’s erect posture
convey a sense of divine certitude. The inscription on the peg is now too corroded to read, but,
by analogy with earlier inscribed foundation figures, the deity probably represents the personal
god of Gudea, ruler of Lagash.
