2-742-147 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Statue of Gudea, c. 2143-2142 BC. Gudea was the political and religious governor of Lagash, one of the oldest Sumerian cities. More than 2,400 inscriptions mention his name and describe his 20-year campaign of city improvements, including new temples and irrigation canals. He was also a patron of the arts. Of the more than 30 statues of Gudea that survive, this is one of the finest examples. Many statues had their heads severed in an effort to destroy their ritual potency. This figure’s clasped hands create a distinctive, unnatural gesture that recurs frequently in both seated and standing versions; it may be an expression of devotion, humility, or piety.