Art and Artifacts in a Time of Uncertainty

Photo: Mesopotamian relief made of clay, 850-1750 BC. This figure of the “Queen of the Night” from the (most probably looted) collection of the British Museum wears the headdress of a high-ranking deity.

Instead of the Easter Bunny and its pastel-colored eggs, on this Spring Equinox I feel like this Mesopotamian goddess of love, fertility, and war is more in tune with our current global state of affairs. She is a deity of paradoxes, linked to the planet Venus and known as the “Queen of Heaven or Queen of Death,” embodying both creativity and love as well as destruction, conflict and power.

Her myth of descent and return from the underworld is intrinsically tied to the Spring Equinox. Representing the renewal of life, and her resurrection (just like Jesus’) mirrors nature awakening from winter, and symbolizes life’s triumphs over death. She reminds us that death is not the strongest force in the universe, thus she is emblematic of hope. Like many art historical goddesses, she is a pivotal figure in fertility-focused springtime celebrations, as her return brings agricultural renewal to earth after the cold winter.

Sumerian iconography aside, it has been a while since I have written here, but I have started and stopped this post many times. Truth be told, the political situation in the United States is excruciatingly exhausting. Plus, I have decided to no longer adhere to the BS of “new year/new me” and the fabricated need to turn the page on Jan. 1st and go full steam ahead into a new year. So with the Spring Equinox on the horizon I decided to just publish this draft regardless of its randomness.

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