Furniture or cosmetic box plaque carved in relief with a striding bull. Culture: Assyrian. Dimensions: 1.85 x 2.44 x 0.31 in. (4.7 x 6.2 x 0.79 cm). Date: ca. 9th-8th century B.C..This slightly curved plaque is carved in relief with a striding bull set within thin frames at the upper and lower edges and bordered by a stylized plant on the right. It was found in a storeroom at Fort Shalmaneser, a royal building at Nimrud that was probably used to store tribute and booty collected by the Assyrians while on military campaign. Originally, this piece was probably set in a continuous frieze and attached to other ivory plaques with striding animals. The complete, circular element would have decorated the leg of a table or bed, or served as decoration for a small cosmetic box. The bull's rear and tail do not survive. Its heavy body fills the empty space of the plaque, a composition characteristic of North Syrian ivories. Two of its legs are carved in the round. Its deeply drilled eye would hav