The Winged Protective Deity or Winged Genii is a frequent topic in Assyrian art. They are usually depicted with wings and long beards. Some even have the heads of birds. They tend to be displayed in palaces. They were originally seen as being associated with the god Enki and came from a religion that started with the Akkadian’s. The Winged Protective Spirit is seen as a purified human. On the other hand, Cupid Eros is the representation of youth and love. This paper will look at and compare the Assyrian Winged Protective Deity and Cupid Eros.
The Winged Protective Deity (Apkallu) which was found in Calakh Kalhu, Iraq (Nimrud) at the site of the remains of the palace of Ashurnasirpal II in 1881. The Winged Deity originated during the rule of Assurnasirpal II between 883-859 BCE in Northern Iraq stands 87 5/16 tall and has a width of 69 7/16 . The relief is made from Gypsum , which is alabaster colored. The figure depicted in a male with wings. He has long hair that is similar to that what is seen on other figures from the same area and time period . He has a long beard that appears to be curled. His body is overly muscular and this is emphasized in the size of his arms, shoulders and calf . The calf itself is large with a prominent vein traveling down the leg to the ankle . There are also what appears to be prominent veins running down the length of his lower arms. The figure is dressed in a long robe that seems to be covered in fringe . Other than the fringe the robe appears to be quite plain. He is also wearing a kilt that has tassels hanging from it. The figure has is wearing sandals. He is also wearing armbands and what look like bracelets on his wrists, as well as earrings and a helmet on his head. In his hand he carries as sword, however the sword is turned inward and his other hand is raised. This indicates that while he is willing to use the sword. He would rather exert his power in a peaceful manner. Across the body of the relief is the inscription . There are still remnants of paint on the relief from where is was once painted. The walls surrounding the relief were adorned with panels constructed from stones that were carved with images of his military and hunting achievements . The relief is a part of a series of reliefs that depict winged creatures that are facing a tree. This is a scene that was repeated many times throughout the palace. The figures appear to be a part of some kind of fertility ritual that was connected to the date tree. The date tree was sacred to the Assyrian’s because it was their main source of wood for shelter and other reasons. The date tree also provided food and drink to the Assyrian’s .
The Apkallu contains a cuneiform inscription of Assurnasirpal II. The inscription is a standard inscription for Assurnasirpal II which is basically a prayer/ praise for Assurnasirpal II. In the inscription which also speaks about the building of the palace which is set on a raised mound. The palace was created to outshine any structure that had existed in Assyria to that point. He is referred to as the favorite of the gods, a great king, who destroys all of his enemies and conquers all of the land. This inscription is a vivid indicator of society’s beliefs and ideals during this time period. The fact that Assurnasirpal II has written an inscription praising himself tells us that while religion is still important. Assurnasirpal II mentions quite a few deities and refers to himself being in their favor. The overall theme is that Assurnasirpal II is a great and mighty ruler who has been blessed by the gods. However, unlike the Pharaohs there is no indication that Assurnasirpal II wishes to be worshipped as a god. Nonetheless the goal of having an inscription that extols one’s virtues and power is to legitimize oneself as king and to protect one’s land and power from enemy attacks.
Artists and sculptures during Assurnasirpal II reign were the ones responsible for creating the Assyrian sculpture that we are familiar with to create a sculptured palace. This is shown in the panels on the walls of Assurnasirpal II’s palace which depicted a number of religious and magical objects. Still some of the other walls had depicted stories that told of the triumphs of the Assyrian kings . The artists at times preserve the physical separation of the panels as barriers from which the story shown could not extend beyond. They still had a way in which they could utilize long portions of wall to use in completing long and difficult works of art . The largest example of this occurs in Assurnasirpal’s throne room . The general concept of the art in Assurnasirpal’s palace is such that the artist was not overly concerned with such concepts as perspective and reality . It does nonetheless have a linear style that includes the use of curves and lines to create the appearance of musculature .
Cupid Eros was sculpted around 190 CE in the Roman Imperial Period. The marble sculpture stands 24 13/16 feet high. The winged cupid which is of the Centocelle style . The figure is shown with a downward glance aimed to the right of him. Around his face are a cascade of long curls that touch the tops of his shoulders . He stands with his left hip cocked and his weight positioned on his left leg. His right is positioned as though he is stepping forward. His left shoulder is positioned lower than his right shoulder and his arms are at his sides. On his shoulders there are two large wings. The wings are carved with intricate details that showcase every line and ridge of the feathers. This is in contrast to the smoothness that is shown in regards to the body of Cupid Eros. His body is smooth with a lean, lightly muscled torso . Behind him on a tree is the remains of a quiver .
Whereas the Protective Winged Deity was part of a relief that lined the palace of Assurnasirpal II. The sculpture of Cupid Eros would have most likely sat inside of a temple. Eros who is one of the lesser gods in the Greek and Roman Pantheon is the god of love and the arts in Greek and Roman Mythologies. However, unlike the Greeks who saw Cupid Eros as the representation of their romantic impulses. The Roman version was seen as a young boy, who had no real bearing on the religion of the Romans . Although, he was utilized by the Romans in literature to show the attraction that existed between two individuals. As a god who affects both the mind and body of a person Eros Cupid can be quite dangerous . This is because love can be seen as something that is uncontrollable and cruel . He is also playful but his playfulness can be construed as cruel and displeasing to the other gods . The Cupid Eros was not just a god of love for women, he was also a representation of love and beauty for men . This is why his images and cult was popular among the members of the Sacred Band, which was a military unit that was made up of lovers . Cupid Eros was also a fertility god in some areas such as Thespiae in Boeotia, where he was denoted by a “aniconic image” . Some sanctuaries have been found to be surrounded by phallic symbols .
Hesiod’s interpretation of Cupid Eros has him as a god who is nearly as old as Gaia (the Earth) herself . He is also not the son of Aphrodite, even though he is always with her . No man or god was immune to his mischief and this led to the emergence of him as a god of love, but also of the danger of obsession, or heartbreak. It was the idea of love without limits or boundaries.
As shown with the Assurnasirpal II depicting himself as a Winged Protected Deity, which was a representation of the god Enki. Assurnasirpal II was a man who wanted to be seen as a god.
The sculpture of Cupid Eros is that of a god, who is meant to look like a boy. This difference in depictions is due to the fact that the Assyrians saw their gods as all powerful deities. While The Greek and Roman gods where seen as more humanlike. In fact, the Greeks did not see their gods as being hieratic nor was the rules of their religion written down. This was because they did not have an identifiable religion rather they had deities they worshipped. The Romans did not have a polarizing set of gods because they permitted the regions they conquered to keep their gods. This usually led to an amalgamation of deities.
The Winged Protective Deity is a relief that was etched into stone in order to tell the virtues of Assurnasirpal II. While the sculpture of Cupid Eros was created to be worshipped and admired for its beauty. The relief is two dimensional and idealized in its overt muscularity whereas the sculpture is three dimensional and more realistic in regards to the youth’s body. The Winged Protective Spirit is religious and political in that Assurnasirpal II is telling his people that he is blessed by the gods, which is why he has been able to conquer all of the lands he had. The Sculpture of Cupid Eros is meant to be admired and worshipped, but unlike the Winged Protective Deity the sculpture is not seeking recognition. This is seen in a lot of aspects of the sculpture (1) Cupid Eros is naked which speaks of vulnerability (2) he is lightly muscled, which speaks of youth (3) his face is youthful and his eyes are cast down. These are indicators of innocence, playfulness and a bit of passivity and shyness. On the other hand, the relief of the Winged Protector Deity shows a man, who wishes to be seen as a god. This is seen in the following ways (1) the figure is fully clothes. This indicates that he wants to be seen as being powerful, strong and without vulnerabilities (2) He is bearded and his eyes are faced forward. This says that he is older and knowledgeable of the world, it also says that the figure has a goal and he is focused on it. (3) The figure is almost too muscular. This seems like Assurnasirpal II wanted an idealized version of himself, most likely in order to intimidate his enemies.
In conclusion there was nothing similar about the works except they were both supposed to represent men or beings that were greater than that of regular people. The biggest contrast between them was that Assurnasirpal II use of the reliefs was personal. He used the relief to speak of his achievements, to intimidate and to decorate his throne room. The sculpture which sat in a temple of Venus/ Aphrodite would have been used by the people in their worship and therefore was meant for public consumption.
References
"Cupid (Eros)." Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2016.
Curtis, John, Julian Reade, and Dominique Collon. Art and Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995. PDF.
Hall, James. Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. London: J. Murray, 1974. PDF.
Kearns, Emily, and S. R. F. Price. The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003. PDF
"Relief of a Winged Genius." Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2016.
Stapleton, Michael. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology. New York: Bell Publishing, 1978. PDF.
