Soldered brass, 12 x 10 x 5, 2017.
The title joins a god and a king. Genesis makes Nimrod a mighty hunter and king of Shinar, and scholars identify him with Marduk, the Babylonian god. One wing lifts a spade high, as a victor lifts a weapon or a standard. The spade is Marduk’s symbol: Marduk’s triumph in the Babylonian creation epic is the defeat of Tiamat. The scalloped fan behind the bird frames it like a niche or an aureole, and the stand lifts it, so the sculpture is presented as a tiny monument.
