(artist unknown, installed in the Nineveh palace) (c.647 bc). Assurbanipal and His Queen in the Garden [alabaster relief]. The British Museum, London.

Semi-abstract realism applies to this piece. Vertical figures are diffused over a peaceful, stable and lateral orientation, with the exception of the king, who is reclining. Overlapping, incised shapes build this work. The artist has expertly distributed patterned and textured forms throughout, which relate separate areas of the relief together. Their decorative proximities show sensitive design and further unify the work into a whole, as opposed to a collection of independent shapes. The arrangement of figures and sense of energy within them is less strict and more organic than reliefs typical of the time period. 

There is clear use of hieractic scale and elevation to emphasize the king and secondarily the queen. All other figurative subjects are shown in profile, relate in diminished size, and are oriented toward the two central subjects. Formal choices (eg, arrangement and subject angles) and ratios (eg, edge definition, embellishment and flatness) support communicating a calm, pleasant scene. Because subjects do not shift in their relation to the observer, he or she is placed in constant lateral motion with the scene, a format common in ancient art across cultures. The upper and lower boundaries assert themselves on the scene. 

What is depicted is actually a victory celebration. The king is enjoying some peace and royal treatment. His weapons are in storage near at-hand, as is the head his defeated rival. This work shows strong design principles in the pleasing mix of flowing, soft and more strict shape edges, pacing of elemental arrangement and nearly transparent conformity to the limitations placed on the scene by the medium. The purpose of strong, professional design is to communicate a simple, clear message, which this work fully accomplishes.