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Cylinder Seal with a Presentation Scene
This seal depicts a presentation scene that includes a procession of three standing deities approaching a seated deity. Behind the seated figure stands a bull, with two smaller deities above it. The style of this seal, including the figures' horned headdresses, the hatching on their robes, and the bull, is characteristic of seals from the Old Assyrian Trading Colony Kültepe in the early second millennium. Around 20,000 clay tablets dating to the 2nd millennium BCE have been discovered at Kültepe (ancient Kanesh), Turkey, which was near Kayseri (ancient Caesarea), including Walters tablet 48.1464. Many tablets found at Kanesh are letters recording business transactions between Kanesh and Assyria in northern Mesopotamia. They were enclosed in clay envelopes and impressed with cylinder or stamp seals.
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, 1924, [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Geographies
Turkey, Anatolia
(Place of Origin)
Mesopotamia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 1 x W: 9/16 in. (2.5 x 1.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1924
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
42.412