Warka Mask

E813273

The Warka Mask is an ancient Sumerian marble female face from the city of Uruk (Warka), considered one of the earliest naturalistic representations of the human face in Mesopotamian art.

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Statements (54)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Mesopotamian artifact
ancient sculpture
archaeological find
stone mask
work of art
alsoKnownAs Uruk Mask NERFINISHED
approximateDate circa 3100 BCE
artisticStyle naturalistic
associatedDeity Inanna NERFINISHED
category Sumerian sculpture
stone portrait
civilization ancient Mesopotamia
condition generally well preserved
country Iraq
countryOfOrigin Iraq NERFINISHED
culture Sumerian
currentCity Baghdad NERFINISHED
currentLocation Iraq Museum NERFINISHED
damage minor chipping and surface wear
dateOfCreation 4th millennium BCE
depicts female face
discoveredBy German archaeological mission
discoveredIn 1939
feature carefully carved eyes
defined nose
flat back for attachment to a body or support
modeled lips
function cult image component
temple decoration
genre portrait sculpture
height about 20 cm
approximately 8 inches
locatedInPresentDay Al-Muthanna Governorate NERFINISHED
southern Iraq NERFINISHED
lootedDuring 2003 invasion of Iraq
lootedFrom Iraq Museum NERFINISHED
materialUsed marble
notableFor being one of the earliest naturalistic human faces in Mesopotamian art
detailed modeling of facial features
high level of craftsmanship
originalContext temple of Inanna at Uruk NERFINISHED
originallyIncluded a wig or headdress
earrings or jewelry
inlaid eyebrows
inlaid eyes
period Late Uruk period
Uruk period NERFINISHED
placeOfDiscovery Uruk NERFINISHED
Warka NERFINISHED
recoveredIn 2003
significance important reference for the study of Sumerian art
key example of early Mesopotamian portraiture
wasLooted yes
wasRecovered yes

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Warka hasSignificantArtifact Warka Mask