DESCRIPTION OF THE IVORIES FROM THE NORTH-WEST PALACE.

(From Mr. Birches Observations on Two Egyptian Cartouches, and some other Ivory Ornaments found at Nimroud: Transactions of the Royal Society of Literature, New Series.)

1. Head of a man, full face, and a left cheek, of style peculiarly Egyptian; the eyes sunk for the purpose of inlaying; the brows incuse, and prolonged towards the ears, and filled with blue colour: the back of the head, which is flat, has been inlaid into wood: the face measures If inch high.

2. A pendent left arm, — the hand clenched: on the shoulder of this arm is the border of the garment, represented by pendent drops, and Incused; these are inlaid with blue paint, and the part just below them is gilded, showing that the garment was gold: the length of this arm is 4⁷⁄₁₂ inches, and as the distance from the elbow to the knuckles is equal to two faces, it formed part of a figure of the same proportions.

3. Fore-part of a foot, completely carved, and which has been inlaid and projected: there is rather a deep hole between the great and first toe, but its use is uncertain.

4. A head, much decomposed, from a similar figure.

5. 6. Two pairs of hands clasping each other, perhaps from a figure in a dignified action, like that of the kings of Nimroud and Khorsabad, 2²/₁₂ inches long.

5*. Garment with disked uraei inlaid. These fragments seem to have come from figures whose bodies were of ebony or cedar, covered with an imitation of drapery, which was gilded, while the exposed parts of the body, similar to the wooden statues with stone extremities, called ἀκρύλιθυι by the Greeks, were executed in ivory. There is no trace of staining.

7. Jaws of a lion or panther, 2 inches high, and 2 inches wide.

8. A stag, grazing, and going to the left; incomplete; 4½ inches long.

9. Heads of two other stags, proceeding in the reverse direction, to the right.

10. Anterior part of a stag, nearly in full relief, head raised.

11 - 16. A cow, and portions of others, standing towards the right, but turning back its head, and licking its calf; 3 ⁴/₁₂ inches long.

17. Similar cow, turned to the left; 3 inches long.

18. Calves, which have apparently formed part of a group with the cows, which they may have been sucking; 1¾ inch long.

19. 20. Bodies of winged gryphons, 1¼ inch long.

21. The fragment of a bull, going to the right; the eye inlaid with blue; 1⁵/₁₂ inch high.

22. A fragment of another bull, 1⁵/₁₂ inch long.

The remainder are all portions of flat panels, of about ^ inch thick, with tenons above and below; they are all carved in bas-relief, of a round and Egyptian style; the accessories, such as the eyes, draperies, and portions of the chair, inlaid with a deep blue glass, probably an imitation of lapis lazuli, and some of the more important parts gilded. They are evidently the prototype of the toreutic work of the Greeks.

23. 24, 25. Three panels, which represent each the same subject, a monarch unbearded, wearing on his head the Egyptian khepre or helmet, which is ornamented with a series of annulations or rings, perhaps to show that it was of chain or scale armour, and has in front the uræus serpent, emblem of royalty, with an Assyrian garment round the loins, like the Egyptian shenti, apparently, from its corrugated folds, intended to represent wool, with a long pendent fold on the left side; the whole with a border of oval drops; the legs bare, and unshod, advancing to the right; holding in his left hand a tall flower of the lotus, which rises out of a clod of earth; the whole representing the Egyptian symbol for the upper country. As pendents to these are three other panels, 26, 27, 28, on which a figure, exactly the same, advances to the right. These, which are nearly of equal size, measuring 3⁵/₁₂, 3¹/₁₂  inches high, and 2¼, 2¹/₁₂ inches wide, have evidently been placed in composition with one another, probably arranged in pairs or else in series, facing to the right and left.

29. Two figures in Egyptian style, with hair falling in locks from the crown of the head; squared at the base; wearing the shenti round the loins; standing face to face, and cording up between them a double flower of the papyrus: each figure places one foot on a flower of the papyrus. These figures are apparently imitated from the ordinary representation of the Nile, cording up the flowers of the lotus and papyrus, common to the sides of Egyptian thrones. There is half of a similar panel with the figure on the left side —

30. The large panel measures 3¹/₁₂ inches wide, and 3 inches high; the fragment 2¹¹/₁₂ inches by 1¹¹/₁₂ inch.

31. Portion of another panel, representing an Assyrian deity, bearded and draped, standing, looking to the left, and holding in his pendent left hand a symbol of life, probably the god Baal or Belus; 2⁷/₁₂ inches high.

32 - 35. Three panels and head from another, also of style peculiarly Egyptian. They represent a kind of window with three plain mouldings, in which is a head carved in Egyptian style in very salient relief, the locks falling in regular rows of curls: in some instances these curls are tied at the ends. The neck has a collar round it, and is placed on a stand, supported by four pillars with capitals, in shape of the lily lotus. These measure 3⁷/₁₂ inches square, and were probably disposed at the gable end of whatever object they decorated.

There are four other heads (36), of most exquisite style and in good preservation, which seem to have belonged to a similar panel. The ears in these panels follow the Egyptian canon, being placed above the eyes.

37. An imperfect panel, of large size: two winged sphinxes, placed back to back, facing outwards; their hair in pendent Egyptian locks, and in front of them palmettes; 6 inches long, 3¼ inches high.

38. Part of another sphinx and emblem Tet from a similar panel, 1½ inch long.

39. Part of a large panel, of very fine style, representing a lion advancing to the right amidst the tall reeds of some river, five of the stems of which remain. This fragment, which rivals many of the archaic remains of Greece, has been embellished with blue and gold: it measures 3 - 5 inches by 6 inches. There are some smaller portions, representing a man in a chariot.

40. A chain border, exactly like the Greek.

41. A fleurette of eight petals, ¹¹/₁₂ths of an inch in diameter; and

42. Another of twelve, ¾ths of an inch in diameter, with some minor odds and ends.

The two remaining ivories, 43 and 44, described by Mr. Birch, are the panels with the cartouches. (See page 10. Vol. 11.)

Since this description was written several additional fragments of carved ivory have been placed in the British Museum. The most interesting is part of a very beautiful tablet, representing the god Horns with a finger upon his lip, seated on a lotus flower. On either side of him were other figures which have probably been destroyed; but as the tablet has not yet been restored, it cannot be fully described.