The Queen of the Night

This plaque is made of baked straw-tempered clay and is modelled in high relief. It was originally painted with red, black and white pigments. The naked 'Queen' cannot be definitely identified but it is clear that she is a Mesopotamian goddess. She wears a cap or headdress with superimposed sets of horns on it. This headdress and her wings are indications that she is a deity. Her wings are hanging downwards to illustrate that she is a goddess of the Underworld and the background of the plaque was originally painted black, which may have been a reference to the night. She is holding 'rod and ring' symbols in her hands. These were probably originally items used for measuring and in Mesopotamian art they became symbolic of divinity and the justice of deities and kings. The Queens' legs end in the talons of birds of prey, similar to the two owls that flank her, and she is standing on the backs of lions. The scale pattern at the bottom of the plaque signifies mountains. The details, rich symbolism and the creatures shown on the plaque have led to differing ideas of who the Queen may represent. She might have been Ishtar, goddess of love and war who was associated with lions, or perhaps Ishtar's sister and rival, the goddess Ereshkigal, who ruled the Underworld. This plaque was probably made in Babylonia (southern Iraq) between 1800 and 1750 BC. It may have come to England as early as 1924, and was brought to the British Museum in 1933 for scientific testing. It has been known since its publication in 1936 in the Illustrated London News as the 'Burney Relief', after its owner at that time. Until 2003 it was in private hands. The Director and Trustees of the British Museum decided to make this spectacular terracotta plaque the principal acquisition for the British Museum's 250th anniversary when it was re-named The Queen of the Night.这件饰板以掺入麦秆羼和料的烧制黏土制成，采用高浮雕工艺成型。最初它表面施有红、黑、白三色颜料。这位赤身的“女王”身份暂无法完全确定，但可明确其为美索不达米亚神祇。她头戴带有多层叠加角饰的冠帽或头饰，该头饰与双翼均为其神性身份的标识。其双翼向下垂落，表明她是冥界女神；饰板背景原本为黑色，或与黑夜意象相关。她双手持有“权杖与圆环”符号，这类器物最初或为测量工具，在美索不达米亚艺术中逐渐演变为神性、神祇与君王正义的象征。这位女王的双腿末端为猛禽利爪，与身侧的两只猫头鹰造型一致，她双足踩在狮子背部之上。饰板底部的鳞片状纹饰象征山岳。 饰板上的细节、丰富的象征符号与所绘生灵，引发了关于“女王”身份的诸多不同推测：她或为司掌爱与战争、与狮子相关联的伊什塔尔（Ishtar）女神，亦或是伊什塔尔的姐妹与竞争对手、统治冥界的女神埃列什基伽勒（Ereshkigal）。 该饰板大概率制作于公元前1800至前1750年的巴比伦尼亚（Babylonia，今伊拉克南部）地区。它最早或于1924年传入英国，并于1933年被送至大英博物馆（British Museum）进行科学检测。1936年，该饰板在《伦敦新闻画报》（Illustrated London News）刊发后，以当时的所有者之名被称为“伯尼饰板（Burney Relief）”。直至2003年，该饰板始终为私人收藏。大英博物馆馆长与理事会决定将这件精美绝伦的陶质饰板作为建馆250周年的核心入藏藏品，并将其重新命名为“夜之女王（The Queen of the Night）”。