Cylinder Seal with Figures, Animals, and an Inscription

This interesting seal most likely originates from northern Syria, but also exhibits evidence of later recarving. The imagery includes a worshipper standing, arms raised in front of three lines of text that name the god Assur. On the other side of the worshipper, in an auxiliary scene, a smaller figure holds a stylized tree and stands on the back of a recumbent lion. Next, another lion attacks a horned antelope. Above the animals, a smaller stylized tree is flanked by two antelopes standing on their hind legs. The style of the large worshipping figure and the reference to Assur suggests the figure and text possibly pre-date Mitanni, although the exact date is uncertain. The third column of text is slightly cut off by the carving of one of the lion’s back, also suggesting the lion and its scene were added after the text. Many Mitannian seals were made of sintered quartz, or faience, but this one is stone.

Cylinder seals are cylindrical objects carved in reverse (intaglio) in order to leave raised impressions when rolled into clay. Seals were generally used to mark ownership, and they could act as official identifiers, like a signature, for individuals and institutions. A seal’s owner rolled impressions in wet clay to secure property such as baskets, letters, jars, and even rooms and buildings. This clay sealing prevented tampering because it had to be broken in order to access a safeguarded item. Cylinder seals were often made of durable material, usually stone, and most were drilled lengthwise so they could be strung and worn. A seal’s material and the images inscribed on the seal itself could be protective. The artistry and design might be appreciated and considered decorative as well. Cylinder seals were produced in the Near East beginning in the fourth millennium BCE and date to every period through the end of the first millennium BCE.

Inscription

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.