Dear British Museum...
I got a pleasant surprise in an email yesterday.
Last week I was poking around some modern-ish paintings of historical events, and on the British Museum website I found this...
...with the catalogue description:
Arena with group of Assyrian soldiers on the left, among them an archer aiming at a lion on the right; in the background, watching from the stands, a king and his retinue; after Bridgman. Photogravure.
It so happened that I’d also seen F. A. Bridgeman’s original painting here, (Wikipedia link) much larger and clearer.
...and I’d seen in-period art of Assyrian lion-hunts, all of which made me think that the British Museum’s description wasn’t quite on the money.
After a bit of debate (what, me, suggest the BM needs correction? come on!) @dduane said that if I was wrong they’d tell me, and if I was right they’d appreciate the input. So I wrote an email...
Dear British Museum Database compilers,
The print entitled "Diversion of an Assyrian King" (Museum Registration Number 2012,7081.3) is based on the painting of the same name by Frederick Arthur Bridgeman, and its current description reads:
“Arena with group of Assyrian soldiers on the left, among them an archer aiming at a lion on the right; in the background, watching from the stands, a king and his retinue. After Bridgman. Photogravure.”
A larger, clearer image of the original painting can be seen here at Wikipedia; both the art and associated information suggests that the richly-dressed and well-escorted archer may in fact be the king himself, Asshurnasirpal II or Asshurbanipal, since both are associated with lion-hunting in original art of their period.
My supposition is based on the "Lion Hunt" reliefs held by the British Museum, all of which show the king killing lions in person with bow, spear and even sword; in several instances he wears the same style of headdress as the archer in the painting.
Curator Gareth Brereton's blog article "Lion Hunting: The Sport of Kings" (4th January 2019) emphasises the royal, religious and political connections between these hunts and the king playing an active part in them rather than remaining a passive observer.
The only potentially kingly male in the "royal box" is sitting to one side of the decorative hanging, rather than in-line with its centre as might be expected.
In addition, Bridgeman has painted him in a headdress based on that worn by Lamassu man-headed bulls (it doesn't appear in the Lion Hunt reliefs) so he may represent a High Priest.
Finally, there seems to be a vacant chair alongside the white-clad woman (the queen?); it's partly hidden by fabric, possibly a cloak or mantle set aside by the king when he descended to begin this particular fish-in-a-barrel "hunt".
I'll be interested to learn what you think of my image analysis, though I won't be surprised to learn that your own object description is based on some research note by the artist which has never been made public.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Morwood
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It generated this automatic response...
Thank you for your comment. We have forwarded it to the relevant department, who will give it consideration.
Thank you for using the British Museum Collection Online.
But then I got this...
Dear Mr Morwood,
I agree that in view of the title of the painting it probably is Ashurnasirpal doing the shooting, hence I have amended the title to:
Arena with group of Assyrian soldiers on the left, among them an archer (perhaps Ashurnasirpal II) aiming at a lion on the right; after Bridgman. Photogravure.
The change will be visible when the BM database is fixed sometime next year. We are always grateful to have corrections.
Best wishes,
Hugo Chapman
The Simon Sainsbury Keeper of Prints & Drawings
The British Museum
London
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I’m pleased about this; not smug, that would be silly, but I’ve provided a tiny scrap of new information that wasn’t there before, and it feels...
Satisfying.
As Diane wrote in “So You Want To Be A Wizard” - “...don’t be afraid to make corrections...” :-D
