Near Eastern, Neo-Babylonian (from the Processional Way of Babylon), 605–562 B.C.
Glazed brick, 40 1/16 x 81 11/16 in. (101.8 x 207.5 cm)
Yale University Art Gallery
1930.372
This relief of a striding lion was made of brick covered with glazes of several different colors—blue-green for the background, white for the lion's body, ochre for the mane, the tip of the tail, and the ground line, and black for the details of the face and mane. This was one of some 120 similar lions that once lined the Processional Way running from Babylon's main entrance, the so-called Ishtar Gate (reconstructed in Berlin), through the religious and administrative heart of the city. Lions are a common subject in the art of the ancient Near East and are associated in particular with royalty. In this case, the lions lining the Processional Way were probably envisioned as protectors of the royal house and the city in general.
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