Plaque with griffin ca. 8th-7th century B.C. Assyrian This small piece of ivory is carved in low relief with the image of a griffin, a fantastic creature that combines the body of a lion with the head of a bird of prey, depicted with or without wings. The griffin rests its forelegs on a plant-like form that rises from the ground line and lifts its head, perhaps to graze on the upper part of the plant, which could originally have been depicted on the adjacent plaque to the left. Carved ivory pieces such as this were widely used in the production of elite furniture during the early first millennium B.C. They were often inlaid into a wooden frame using joinery techniques and glue, and could be overlaid with gold foil or inlaid with colored glass or stone pieces to create a dazzling effect of gleaming surfaces and bright colors. Griffins nibbling on plants were frequently depicted on carved ivory plaques, including three well-preserved pieces in various styles from Nimrud which are also in