Face from a colossal sphinx

This enigmatic carved stone face probably belonged to a sphinx that formed part of a column base. Like the Assyrian human-headed winged lions and bulls, sphinxes were thought to have protective magical powers. King Sennacherib records how he made sphinxes of alabaster and copper. They were used in the inner rooms of the palace to support wooden columns inlaid with precious metals. Scanned at the I Am Ashubapinal exhibition at The British Museum, 2019 Sphinxes of alabaster, as well as sphinxes of cast copper overlaid with silver ... I erected over them columns of ebony, cypress, cedar, juniper and Indian wood, with gold and silver inlays. - King Sennacherib, ruled 705-681 BC这件神秘莫测的浮雕石质人面像，原本应为构成柱基一部分的斯芬克斯（Sphinx）雕像的组成部分。与亚述的带翼人头狮、带翼人头公牛雕像类似，斯芬克斯被认为具备护佑性的神秘力量。辛那赫里布国王曾记录，他曾制作雪花石膏（alabaster）与铜质斯芬克斯雕像，这类雕像被安置于宫殿内室，用于支撑镶嵌有贵金属的木质立柱。该文物于2019年大英博物馆（The British Museum）举办的「吾乃阿舒巴皮纳尔（Ashubapinal）」特展中完成扫描。辛那赫里布记载：「我打造了雪花石膏斯芬克斯，以及覆银铸铜斯芬克斯……我在这些雕像上方竖立了镶嵌金银饰的乌木、柏木、雪松、杜松木与印度木材立柱。」——辛那赫里布，公元前705年至公元前681年在位