Details

LOT 0266

Assyrian Double-Faced Pendant Depicting Pazuzu, King of Wind Demons

8TH-6TH CENTURY B.C.

1 3/4 in. (50.24 grams, 44 mm).

Carved in the round with flared base, addorsed faces of the demon with suspension lug above.

Provenance

UK private collection before 2000.
Acquired on the UK art market.
Private collection, London, UK.

Footnotes

The figure described as the 'King of Wind Demons' is commonly identified with Pazuzu, a well-known demon in Assyrian and Babylonian tradition. Despite his fearsome appearance, often shown with a canine face, bulging eyes, a scaly body, and wings, Pazuzu was not simply a malevolent force. He was understood as the ruler of the winds, particularly the hot, destructive winds from the desert, but was also invoked for protection. Most notably, Pazuzu was believed to ward off the demon Lamashtu, who threatened pregnant women and infants. Small amulets and pendants bearing his image were therefore worn or placed in domestic spaces as protective devices. Objects such as this pendant belong to that world of everyday belief, where the boundary between danger and protection was fluid, and where even a demon could serve an apotropaic role.