I got these iron panels from an estate sale of a woman who owned an antique store locally for decades. I have 3 of them and they are each 8.5" x 4.5" and made of cast iron. When I google searched an image of one i did find a very close design that was described as Assyrian lions. It was just an image though, not cast panels. She had "license plates" on them which they definitely aren't. Do you know what they are? I was thinking maybe it was architectural salvage maybe?
At first I thought they might be plates for stamping fabric or large clay seals, but I think they're artistic pieces in their own right and look like the ancient gates.
The column separating the bulls is Egyptian in style, with a lotus bud capital, but I'm not sure what (if anything) that does for dating the ostensible original. Could be very, very old or a tourist souvenir from the '50s. Looks like there are some original pigments remaining. Definitely worth sending images to a professional.
Around 1000 BC, when the bronze civilization of China's Shang and Zhou Dynasties was alternating, the first empire of iron civilization appeared in the Mesopotamia River Basin, which was the Assyrian Empire.
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If there is a university near your home and the university has a chemistry department, you can ask them to help you identify the composition of the ironware.It's easy for them because they have the equipment。
Then you can compare the composition of Assyrian ironware that museum has, and you will probably know whether it is genuine Assyrian ironware.
