I could not see this from the computer image of the Lamassu, but there was also sculpture carved into the stone directly around the human-headed, winged lion. Determining what material this work is sculpted from by looking at the computer image alone is difficult. When I saw the actual sculpture, I could tell the artist made the Lamassu from limestone. It was rather surprising to see all of these differences between the picture of the Lamassu and the actual sculpture of it in the museum. .
The 9th century B.C. Lamassu is a great example of how kings protected the Assyrian Palaces in the Ancient Near Eastern culture. The Lamassu scared intruders away with the help of its size, a little over ten feet tall. This sculpture has five legs so that when it is viewed from the front, it looks like it is just standing, but when viewed from the side, it appears as if the animal is running. The bull and lion are symbols and emblems of power. Their sizes help represent their power. Theses human-headed, winged beasts are protective deities of the kings. These beasts protected palaces from both physical and non-physical dangers. .
I selected the Magical Stela from the Egyptian stylistic period in the museum. When I saw the work in the museum, I immediately noticed that its color was not what I expected after looking at the computer image. The Magical Stela, carved of stone, appears to be dull and gray in the computer image, but in the museum, the stela is very shiny and dark silver. When looking at this work of art's picture, it is very difficult to see what is being depicted in the relief. The only thing I can make out from the picture is in the center of the relief, there is a standing man holding something in each hand. From the picture alone, I could not determine what it is that he is holding in his hands. When I saw the Magical Stela in the museum, I realized he is holding snakes and scorpions in his hands.
