Relief panel. Culture: Assyrian. Dimensions: 64 5/8 x 49 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (164.1 x 125.7 x 8.9 cm). Date: ca. 883-859 B.C..This panel from the Northwest Palace at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu) depicts a winged supernatural figure. Such figures appear throughout the palace, sometimes flanking either the figure of the Assyrian king or a stylized "sacred tree." The reliefs were painted, but today almost none of the original pigment survives. However, the reliefs themselves retain incredible detail, including intricate incised designs on many of the figures' clothing.The protective figure on this panel originally stood back to back with another on one side of a doorway, with parallel figures on the other side, so that one pair of figures faced out toward a courtyard and the other into the room. The Museum collection includes fragments of all four figures. The figure is human-headed and faces right, holding in his left hand a bucket and in his right hand a cone whose exact nature is unclear. One su