Napir-Asu

Napir Asu (circa 1300 BC) was an Elamite queen and wife of King Untash-Napirisha represented in a mutilated copper and bronze statue widely regarded as a masterpiece of ancient metalwork. The sculpture provides one of the finest surviving representations of elite garments from antiquity and constitutes one of the rare extant depictions of a royal queen.

Biography It is likely that Napir-Asu corresponds to the daughter of the Babylonian Burnaburiash (perhaps the king Burna-Buraish II) married by Untash-Napirisha. A statue of the god Immiriya in Chogha Zanbil was dedicated by Napir-Asu's husband Untash-Napirisha to his father-in-law Burnaburiash. There is a letter that has survived which describes Untash-Napirisha marrying a daughter of a Burna-Buraish. However there is some debate as to whether the Burna-Burnish in the letter is in fact the king, or a later descendant.

Nevertheless it does appear that Napir-Asu was the first Elamite royal woman to be depicted on a limestone stele with her husband. She appears to also be the first Elamite queen whose name is inscribed on her body in statue form. The stele depicts Napir-Asu, Untash-Napirisha and his mother, the priestess Utik.

Details Statue of Napir-Asu; Louvre Museum, SB 2731 https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010176829

Details: H. 1.29 m, L. 0.73 m, Weight 1750 kg; copper, bronze.

Main References: Scheil 1904: 1-6, No. 45; Lampre 1905: 245-250, Pls. 15-16; Amiet 1966: 372, No. 280; Spycket 1981: 309, fig. 204; Tallon 1992: 132-135; Meyers 2000; Helwing 2018; Álvarez-Mon 2020: 302-303, Pl. 121; Wicks 2021.

The Statue of Queen Napir Asu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPEMaej_N8k&t=46s

Introduction In 1903 archaeologist Jacques de Morgan, working as part of the Délégation scientifique française en Perse, discovered a 130cm high statue, made of a bronze core, covered by a layer of copper, with cast and chased decoration, weighing 1750 kg. It was found in the upper rooms of the temple of Ninhursag in Susa.

The statue stands as one of the largest surviving metal sculptures of antiquity and remains among the most celebrated masterpieces of Elamite art. Henri Frankfort described it as “a triumph of the Elamite metalworkers” and “the most perfect realization in bronze of a plastic ideal.” Françoise Tallon likewise emphasized its “innovative technique and technical prowess of manufacture,” seeing it as a striking demonstration of the mastery achieved by Elamite metallurgical workshops during the reign of Untash-Napirisha, as well as of the vigour of his rule.

Manufacture The statue was produced through an exceptionally sophisticated process, involving a bronze core and a copper outer shell cast separately. The principal stages of manufacture can be reconstructed as follows according to Meyers 2000.

A clay core was constructed by layering bricks on top of one another. Metal bars were laid crosswise at the base and again at a height of about 55 cm, before further bricks were added to bring the core to shoulder level. The clay core was dried, and possibly fired, to harden it. The dried core was coated with a thick layer of wax, on which the sculptor modeled the body, garment details, ornaments, feet, arms, and hands (but not the head). The wax thickness averaged 2–2.5 cm, increasing to more than 10 cm around the hands and feet. Copper and bronze chaplets were inserted through the wax into the core to secure it during casting. Nine chaplets remain visible today (each 0.6 x 0.6 cm in cross-section), though more than 100 would originally have been required. A clay investment (mold) was applied over the wax model. The entire assembly was placed in a furnace: the clay mold was fired, while the wax melted and drained away, leaving a cavity for the metal. Molten copper was then poured into the cavity left by the wax, probably in a single operation or in several rapid pourings. Once cooled, the clay investment was broken away, the chaplets removed or cut flush, and the surface cleaned and polished. The hollow statue was inverted, the clay core extracted, and the void filled with molten bronze. The alloy averages 11% tin and is remarkably homogeneous, indicating a single pour. The metal crossbars supporting the core were removed. The separately cast head was attached. Either before or after casting the bronze core, the Elamite inscription was engraved, the surface was refined through chasing, and decorative details were enhanced with foil in precious metals such as gold or silver.

Inscription On the fringed skirt of this statue, the names of the queen and the great gods of Susa are engraved in Elamite cuneiform. There is a ring on the queen's left hand, which is probably her wedding ring.

In the end, the statue reached the Louvre Museum, where, in Lampre’s words, “after so many vicissitudes, the statue of Queen Napir-Asu, piously placed under the protection of the gods, has won safe haven in our National Museum, where it is exposed to the admiration of scholars and artists.” Today this ancient metal sculpture still stands in the museum’s galleries as an emblem of Elam’s “golden age.”

The statue is held in the Louvre collections. In 1993 the statue, alongside other works from the Louvre, was loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for exhibition. It is recognised as a masterpiece of Elamite art.