Page 77 - The Art & Architecture of the Ancient Orient_Neat

PART one: MESOPOTAMIA
green serpentine, light and graceful; this effect is achieved by an inner logic which com­
bines the properties of the semi-translucent stone, the elegance of the contour the con­
trast between the broad shoulders and the narrow waist, and even the unusual gesture.
The fingers of the right hand direct our glance beyond their clasp to the long vertical
edge of the shawl, while in the monumental statues of dioritc the hands form part of the
great curve by which the arms emphasize die roundness of the ideal form, the cylinder.
In these larger figures the gesture of die clasped hands is as logically used as that of the
pointed fingers which play their part in the composition of the statuette. Notice, in the
diorite statues, the other features that emphasize the cylindrical form, such as the folds
of the shawl under the right arm and the roundness of the base. In the serpentine statu­
ette, too, as in all Mesopotamian sculpture, the composition is cylindrical, but its slender
elegance obscures the abstract framework which the monumental figures accentuate.
Plate 46, where Gudca holds a drawing-board on which the plan of a temple is to be
traced by means of ruler and stylus,3 shows how awkwardly square elements are fitted
in. The seat, too, seems refractory; it could not be rendered in the round without deep
undercutting, and was therefore left more or less block-shaped; but, in contrast with
Egyptian usage, its squareness is as far as possible mitigated by the treatment of the sides.
The statues were, as we have seen (p. 23 above), placed in the temples as a perpetual
reminder of the ruler’s faithful service of the gods, and as active intcrccders on his behalf.
His images were credited with power, and this power was sustained by offerings of food
and drink. The dedicatory inscriptions took account of the divine hierarchy. The statu­
ette of plate 49, for instance, was dedicated to the goddess Gcshtinanna, and bore the
name: ‘She transmits prayers’. But the statues dedicated to the city-god, Ningirsu, or to
the Mother Goddess, interceded directly, and bore such names as: ‘I am the shepherd
loved by my king (/.e. Ningirsu); may my life be prolonged’.4
A combination of serenity and forcefulness is characteristic of the statuary of Gudca,
and the texts bear out this impression. While Gudea maintained prosperity and peace in
the midst of chaos, he ascribed his good fortune to his excellent relations with the deities.
These looked with favour on a city ruled by a king devoted to their service. Gudca re­
built their temples with an extraordinary expenditure of energy and wealth, and he
buried in their foundations an account of his activities. These texts are most unusual.
They describe, not only the facts, but also the moods of the king during the slow and
laborious fulfilment of his task, beginning with the first intimation that something was
expected of him (the gods prevented the Tigris from rising at the time of the inunda­
tion) ; the dreams which were sent to him when he slept in the temple, and which were
only clarified by degrees; the long preparation of the site; the purification of the city;
the collection of the materials; the final dedication to, and occupation by the gods. These
texts though damaged and often equivocal or obscure, possess, even in translation, an
„ ’ordinary poetic force, and a spirit closely related to that expressed in the sculptures
'Tbpv convey Gudea’s awareness that his devotion had found fulfilment m a relation o
. j p-oodwill on the part of the gods. The following passage may count as a poetic
trU * W of the sculptures. It was spoken by the god Ningirsu in the dream wuc
fmally overcame Gudea’s doubts as to whether he was indeed called upon to undertake

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