ClassificationsAncient Near Eastern Art

Head of Pazuzu

CulturePersian

PeriodAchaemenid Dynasty

Date539-479 BCE

MediumQuartz (chalcedony)

Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin

Dimensions11/16 x 3/8 in. (1.7 x 1 cm)

Object number2008.030.004

Label TextIn Mesopotamian mythology, Pazuzu was the fiercest of all demons and is usually depicted as a combination of animal and human features. He is shown with the body of a man, the head of a snarling dog or a lion on the body of a man, with eagle claws, four wings, and a scorpion tail. Just the head could also be worn as an amulet since Pazuzu was so fearsome he would scare away any lesser demon. He continued to be poplar into the Persian or Achaemenid Period as in this finely carved, small amulet of blue chalcedony, a favorite stone of the era.
Exhibition HistoryMonsters, Demons & Winged Beasts: Composite Creatures in the Ancient World, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - June 19, 2011
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, April 15, 2024 - Present
Published ReferencesEmory Report 62 (September 21, 2009).
Michael C. Carlos Museum: Highlights of the Collections (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2011), 58-59.

ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California, acquired from Joel Malter (1931-2006) [Joel L. Malter & Co., Inc.], Los Angeles, California, June 1993.

Status

On view

Collections