Professor Frothingham's Lecture

Assyrian art is a much more promising field for the student to work in than Babylonian art. It offers both in sculpture and architecture more novel and more attractive developments. The Assyrians introduced the arch and the column into their architecture and thus made possible more beauty and diversification of structure.

Assyrian art is generally divided into two period; of the earlier one which extends about down to the 8th century before Christ, we have no actual remains, as the temples were restored, and often entirely rebuilt by the later kings. It was customary to restore the decaying buildings of earlier times and we learn from numerous inscriptions that the kings wished all sorts of imprecations on the heads of those of their successors who should not maintain the temples and palaces they built. For knowledge of this earlier period we must depend on inscriptions. The later period which extends down from the 8th century before Christ to the fall of the Assyrian Empire, we can study more closely, as actual ruins remain to us.

It is only in this latter period that the kings began to erect gorgeous palaces, as all their attention was at first bestowed upon building temples worthy of their great gods.

But when they began to build palaces, they intended them to be a lasting and glorious monument of their reign. The Assyrians were impressed with a great historic sense and they wanted their monuments to last on forever, that future generations might know their power.

The earliest sculptures that we have are, in the main, bas-reliefs, although sculpture in the round was practised to some extent.

There is a period in which Assyrian art excelled, when the human form was carefully and vigorously drawn, but there followed a period of decadence in which details of attire and scenic surroundings were more aimed after. Even here, however, we must admire the admirable execution of detail.

The portals of the palaces were guarded by enormous winged bulls and other genii, who were supposed to guarantee peace and security to the dwellers in the palace. A great part of the decoration of the walls of the palaces was executed in enameled brick and, considering the few colors employed, the artists attained some very good results. We see lions, horses, winged bulls, genii with eagles' heads and many other creatures portrayed in this way.

The palaces generally contained a temple dedicated to the great gods and in one of the inscriptions we get a detailed account of the construction of a most magnificent one.

The lecture was copiously illustrated with slides which showed the different phases of the development of Assyrian sculpture and architecture.