Special Collections

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Idols are worrisome objects. From ancient times to the present day, theological traditions have reflected on idolatry and questioned the transcendence, significance and power of objects.

In ancient Mesopotamia, for example, a cult statue would have been installed in a temple only after an elaborate ritual in which artisans proclaimed not to have made the idol and had their hands symbolically chopped off. Finding such ritual denials ineffective, the Bible’s second commandment—outlawing the making of graven images—deemed all object worship idolatrous. Nevertheless some Christian theologians embraced representations of Christ and contended that such images were valid because Christ himself was the word made flesh. Pictured is Albrecht Dürer’s Sudarium Displayed by Two Angels, 1513, in which the image of the divine Christ—who just happens to bear a striking resemblance to the artist Dürer—has been turned into an object of veneration. Is this an image of piety or hubris?

By juxtaposing Mesopotamian cult figures with Classical antiquities and Renaissance paintings, Idol Anxiety examines how objects become idols and offers insight into the sometimes uneasy relationship between people and things.

The Roman emperor Hadrian (117–138 A.D.) is best known for his passion for Greek culture, his interest in architecture and the eponymous wall he built between England and Scotland (ancient Caledonia). This exhibition offers new perspectives on his life and legacy, exploring the sharp contradictions of his personality and his role as a harsh military commander.

Hadrian combined ruthless suppression of dissent with cultural tolerance. He reacted with ferocity against the Jewish Revolt in 132 A.D. Examples of poignant objects belonging to Jewish rebels who hid in caves are included in the exhibition.

A central theme of Hadrian’s life and his legacy was his strong interest in architecture. Under his patronage, highly innovative, iconic buildings were constructed throughout the empire. The most famous are the Pantheon in Rome and his magnificent villa at Tivoli, a few miles east of the capital. The villa is still being excavated, and exciting new finds and research is presented in the exhibition. Pictured is a contemporaneous marble bust of the emperor in military dress, found in the villa.

From the ninth to seventh centuries B.C., the Assyrians emerged as the dominant power in the Near East, controlling present-day Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt, as well as large parts of Turkey and Iran. It was the largest empire known up to that time. In their homeland in northern Iraq, in the area of Mosul, the Assyrian kings built splendid palaces, their gates flanked by colossal human-headed bulls and lions, their walls lined with great stone slabs intricately carved in relief (see example, from the reign of Ashurnasirpal II, 875–860 B.C.) with scenes memorializing in fascinating and sometimes grisly detail the king’s exploits in warfare, hunting, palace life and court rituals.

A wide variety of items—most of which were first excavated in the 19th century—will be displayed in this exhibit. Military dress and equipment and horse trappings and harnesses illustrate life in the army. Carved ivories, furniture fittings and metal vessels showcase the luxurious, cosmopolitan lifestyle enjoyed by the king and his court. And texts from the royal library (where the king sought to gather together all the world’s learning in one place) enshrine the wisdom of ancient Mesopotamia, the cradle of Western civilization.