Cylinder Seal with Deities, a Lion, and a Sphinx

Syrian seals have a diverse range of imagery drawn from Syria, Egypt, Anatolia, and Mesopotamia. This cylinder seal features a winged deity holding a lance and standing at an altar. Another deity holding a scepter stands facing the same direction. Between these figures is a smaller-scaled standing nude goddess. On the other side of the altar, a robed figure, possibly a king, stands with his back to the altar and his hands raised in praise. An ancillary scene features registers with a recumbent lion and sheep, a twisted knot, and a recumbent sphinx. In this period, nude goddesses were generally associated with Astarte, Anath, and other West Semitic and Canaanite deities.

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.

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