A Five-Thousand-Year-Old Lioness Statue That Shattered Auction Records
In short: Standing just over eight centimeters tall, the Guennol Lioness is a masterpiece from the dawn of civilization. This Mesopotamian figure, blending human and leonine traits, once commanded a record-breaking price for a sculpture. Its mysterious origins and enigmatic form continue to captivate historians and collectors alike, bridging ancient myth and modern value.
The Guennol Lioness is a small, limestone sculpture dating back roughly 5,000 years, likely originating from the region near Baghdad. Its creation aligns with a pivotal era in human history, coinciding with the invention of the wheel, the birth of early urban centers, and the emergence of cuneiform script. The figure is an anthropomorphic hybrid, displaying a muscular, upright posture that merges human and animal characteristics. While some scholars, such as Edith Porada, have identified the subject as a lioness due to its feminine lower body and lack of male anatomy, others suggest it might represent a sexless, mythical entity.
The statue's provenance is as storied as its appearance. It was acquired by Alastair Bradley Martin in 1948 from the Joseph Brummer collection and remained on display at the Brooklyn Museum of Art for decades. When it hit the auction block at Sotheby's on December 5, 2007, it defied expert predictions. While analysts anticipated bids between $14 million and $18 million, the final sale price reached $57.2 million. This figure set a new world record for any sculpture sold at auction, surpassing the previous high held by a bronze antiquity known as Artemis and the Stag.
The significance of the Guennol Lioness lies in its representation of ancient Mesopotamian beliefs. By combining the physical prowess of different species, these cultures sought to exert influence over the natural world. The lioness, in particular, was a frequent object of veneration, likely due to the species' sophisticated, coordinated hunting behaviors. Similar hybrid figures appear in the artistic record of the period, such as on the Great Lyre from the Royal Tombs of Ur. Although the Guennol Lioness lost its title as the most expensive sculpture in 2010 to Alberto Giacometti's Walking Man I, it remains a rare, tangible link to the dawn of human civilization.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Guennol Lioness
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