Furniture support carved in the round with a lion's hind leg. Culture: Assyrian. Dimensions: 9.53 x 2.95 x 1.89 in. (24.21 x 7.49 x 4.8 cm). Date: ca. 9th-8th century B.C..This piece is carved into the shape of a lion's right hind leg. It was found in a large storeroom at Fort Shalmaneser, a royal building at Nimrud that was probably used to store booty and tribute collected by the Assyrians while on military campaign. The leg muscles are softly rendered and the three claws are individually articulated in low relief. A dowel hole that pierces the inner paw and the trapezoidal tenon on which this leg stands suggest that this piece was fitted into a frame, likely as part of a piece of furniture. The inner side of the leg is flat and the upper portion is square-cut with two large, poorly preserved mortises at either side of the thickest area, likely to secure it to the piece of wooden furniture to which it originally belonged. For example, sphinx thrones, a type of ceremonial chair flank