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Secondary sourcePainting

Relief with Musicians from the Palace of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh

A later engraved drawing copying a palace relief of musicians from Ashurbanipal's palace at Nineveh.

This drawing reproduces a relief from Ashurbanipal's own palace, giving a glimpse of court entertainment in his reign.

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Pen and brown ink sketch on a cream sketchbook page, numbered 7 in the top right corner. Two bearded figures with long curled hair stand in profile, one playing a large round-bodied harp or lyre with a curved frame, the other playing a stringed instrument. A third figure in a long fringed robe stands at the far right. Pencil construction lines are visible. Handwritten note at bottom.
Engraved drawing of a relief with musicians from the palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh. Art Collection of the University of Göttingen, Germany.

About this source

What it is

This is a pen and ink sketch reproducing a stone relief that once decorated the palace of King Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. It shows two bearded musicians playing stringed instruments and a third figure in a long robe. The drawing is held in the Art Collection of the University of Göttingen, Germany.

Why it matters

The original relief was part of the decoration of Ashurbanipal's palace, showing scenes of court life alongside the king's military campaigns. This drawing is not the ancient relief itself but a later copy made by someone studying or recording Assyrian art, which helps historians study reliefs that may be damaged, lost, or far away.

Look closer

  • What details about the musicians' clothing and instruments can you make out in the drawing?
  • Why might someone make a careful drawing of an ancient relief instead of just describing it in words?
  • What might this scene of music tell us about life inside Ashurbanipal's palace?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ashurbanipal on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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