Cylinder Seal with a Presentation Scene

Syrian seals have a diverse range of imagery drawn from Syria, Egypt, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia. This seal depicts the minor god Isimud (Usmu in Akkadian) standing between a seated deity and a standing winged deity. Isimud is depicted with two faces as a janus-figure. In Sumerian mythology he was a messenger for the god Enki, who might be the seated deity in this scene. There is an altar with bread and a sun disc and crescent in front of Enki. The standing winged deity is possibly the goddess Inanna.

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.

Provenance

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

Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1913, [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.