371, Lot: 1177. Estimate $400. Sold for $2100. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Terra cotta cone of Gudea, Governor of Lagash. Neo-Sumerian (Third Dynasty of Ur), circa 2120 BC.

Dedicatory inscriptions by rulers of the Neo-Sumerian period (2190-2000 BC) commemorating the construction of a building were commonly written on clay in the form of thick cones, or “nails” (i.e., cones with mushroom-like heads). These were produced in great quantity with identical inscriptions, and were embedded in the wall of a new building. The Ningirsu Temple dedication is the most common Gudea cone.

In his numerous inscriptions, Gudea, governor of the city-state Lagash, related the many pious building projects he carried out and dedicated to the divinities of the city. The building of the Eninnu, the temle of Ningirsu, seems to have been the greatest project of his reign. Two hymns, each written on a large clay cylinder, recount different stages of its contstruction.

Written in Sumerian cuneiform in eleven lines:

dNin-gír-su
ur-sag kala-ga
dEn-líl-lá-ra
lugal-a-ni
Gù-dé-a
ensí
Lagashki-kc₄
ní-du₇-e pa mu-na-è
é-ninnu Anzu^musen-bar₆-bar₆-ra-ni
mu-na-dù
ki-bi mu-na-gi₄

For (the god) Ningirsu,
the mighty warrior
of Enlil,
his king,
Gudea,
governor
of Lagash,
a resplendent marvel,
the Eninnu Temple-“Brilliant Lion-Headed Eagle”,
he built and
restored (to its former condition).

For (the god) Ningirsu, the mighty warrior of Enlil, his king,Gudea, governor of Lagash, built and restored (to its former condition) a resplendent marvel, the Eninnu Temple – "Brilliant Lion-Headed Eagle."

Some minor chips, otherwise a well-preserved specimen. Length: 10.9cm.

From the Dr. Stephen Gerson Collection, purchased in London, 1991.