IV. 



THE LOTUS. 



This plant has some connection with the Flora of 

 Assyrian Monuments. We find it on the pavement of 

 the palace of Sardanapalus (basement, British Museum), 

 and in other places. But on the whole I thought it 

 would be better to treat of it after the review of the 

 sacred trees of Assyria. 



It appears to be essen- 

 tially an Egyptian feature, 

 as shown in fig. ^^y ; and 

 Assyrian decorative art- 

 ists, from close contact of 

 the two nations, had evi- 

 dently borrowed the lotus- 

 motive from Egypt. 



Mr. W. H. Goodyear 

 has published an admir- 

 able work entitled, " The 

 Grammar of the Lotus " 

 (1891), with numerous 

 illustrations. One cannot agree entirely with his views. 

 He seems to look at all ancient ornamentation through 

 ' lotus-spectacles,' and therefore one would be inclined to 



Fig. 37 — Egyptian type, showing leaf, 

 flower and bud of Lotus, pi. 3, fig 6 

 (Grammar of the Lotus). 



