Statue of Gudea, king of Lagash, a Sumerian city of Southern Mesopotamia (2144-2124 B.C.). The ruler is represented with a vessel in his hands, from which two jets of water spring forth, having fishes that swim inside them. The composition has the purpose to represent the king’s function as dispenser of fertility and vital power: the terrestrial representative of the god Enki, Master of the underground waters. The object is in the Louvre Museum, Paris.

[Image: http://www.artstor.org]