Ivory Plaque Fragment with a Cow and Suckling Calf in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2008

Plaque fragment with a cow and a suckling calf
Ivory
Northern Mesopotamia, excavated at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), Fort Shalmaneser, Rooms SW 11/12
Neo-Assyrian period, Syrian style, 9th-8th century BC

Accession # 64.37.3

Suckling scenes such as this one are often found in scenes of daily life that emphasize fertility of the land and flocks. The Egyptian hieroglyph with this image means "be joyful." Dozens of similar plaques have been recovered at Nimrud, probably part of an elaborate piece of furniture.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.