"This standard top would have been joined to a pole or other support. It is not certain how such a standard would have been used, but it may be significant that the very few examples of this type excavated have been found only in graves. The object depicts a scene of long-standing significance in ancient Near Eastern art, that of the "master of animals." The man holds in each hand the throat of a demonic creature, while human and bird heads appear below." (MMA website)

Provenance:
Galerie Kevorkian, Paris