The Burney Relief (also known as the Queen of the Night) is a terracotta panel from ancient Mesopotamia. The relief is dominated by a nude female figure with wings and claws. She is often identified as a goddess, although experts disagree about which deity she represents. In addition to female figures, two pairs of animals are also engraved on the plaque. The Burney bas-relief is today on display at the British Museum in London.
Origin of Burney Relief
Burney Relief is named after Sydney Burney, an English art and antiques dealer. The artifact was brought to London by a Syrian/Lebanese trader sometime in the 1930s, although its exact origin is unknown.
In 1935, this artifact was purchased by Selim Homsy & Co. supplied to the British Museum on behalf of Abdul Jabar of Basra for £350 ($390). However, the museum rejected the offer. The following year, an article about the plaque was published in the Illustrated London News, bringing public attention to the Burney Relief Organization.
Over the following decades, Burney Relief passed through the hands of several private collectors. The last of these collectors was Sakamoto Goro, from whom the British Museum bought the object for £1.5 million ($1.9 million) in 2004 to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
The Burney relief discovered in Mesopotamia dates from 1800 to 1750 BC. (Flickr upload bot / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Burney relief feature
Burney Relief is a rectangular terracotta panel, 49.5 cm (19.5 inches) high and 37 cm (14.6 inches) wide.
The object is believed to have been made in Mesopotamia and dated to around the 19th/18th century BC.
The plaque was modeled by hand and painted. Although the relief has long lost its color, scientific analysis shows that red lipstick was applied to the female figure’s body. Additionally, plaster may have been used as a whitening agent for certain areas. However, gypsum can also result from luminescence from salts present in groundwater, thus making it an unintended by-product, rather than a pigment intentionally applied to reliefs.
Approximate color scheme of the Burney Relief painting. (Rama / CC BY-SA 2.0 )
The central figure of Burney Relief is a nude female figure with wings and claws. The character is depicted wearing a headdress with four pairs of horns on her head with a disc, which indicates that she is a deity.
The figure’s arms are raised to shoulder level and each hand holds a stick and ring. The figure is also decorated with a necklace and bracelets on the wrist.
In addition to this female figure, two pairs of animals are also depicted on the Burney Frieze. A pair of owls appear on each side of the goddess, while a pair of lions are placed at her feet. The lions lie on a scale model, symbolizing the mountainous terrain.
Who is she?
The most intriguing aspect of Burney Relief is undoubtedly the female character’s identity. Initially, the figure was considered a representation of a demon named Lilitu (from which the Jewish word Lilith is derived). This is based on the character’s wings, claws, and the presence of owls. Incidentally, it is because the figure is identified as Lilitu that the relief is also known as the Queen of the Night. However, this explanation is generally rejected by scholars today.
Lilitu also known as Lilith is argued to be the entity represented in Burney Relief. (Themadchopper / Public Domain)
Instead, the figure on the Burney Relief is considered a goddess. Some scholars believe that this figure represents Inanna (later equated with Ishtar), a Mesopotamian goddess considered the Queen of Heaven.
The figure’s headdress suggests that she was an important goddess, supporting her identification as Inanna. Additionally, the presence of lions is also indicated, as Inanna is the only Mesopotamian goddess associated with this animal. Furthermore, her decorations are associated with the myth known as Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld.
A modern illustration depicting Inanna-Ishtar’s descent into the Underworld, some believe she is the entity represented in Burney Relief. (Fæ / Public Domain )
The debate continues – Queen of the Sky or Queen of Hell?
However, others believe that the figure represents Ereshkigal, Inanna’s older sister and rival. While Inanna is the Queen of the Sky, Ereshkigal is the Queen of the Underworld.
The identification of this figure as Ereshkigal is based on the fact that the goddess’s wings point downward. If this figure represents Inanna, her wings will spread outward.
The presence of Inanna’s symbols is explained by the suggestion that the relief depicts Ereshkigal after her victory over her sister. In the myth of Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld, Inanna is forced to remove her ornaments when passing through her sister’s kingdom, and the relief may symbolize the story’s conclusion.
Burney Relief is not the only one of its kind. A similar plaque can be found in the Louvre Museum. However, the quality of this relief is not as good as the Burney relief. However, it clearly depicts a nude woman with wings and claws. Another notable difference is the animals depicted along with the goddess. Instead of lions, the goddess in this relief is shown standing on a pair of horned animals, possibly goats or antelopes.
