Large Western Asiatic Granite Stamp Seal with Recumbent Stag

£ 350.00

A large Western Asiatic stamp seal carved from a warm, mottled granite and featuring a recumbent stag. The face of the stamp seal is circular in shape, with short, straight sides, adorned with an encircling groove. The image of a stag has been carefully engraved, depicted recumbent with the legs folded beneath. The antlers and large round eye have been delicately rendered, and triangular motifs fill the empty fields either side. The reverse of the seal slopes gently towards a cylindrical handle, decorated with vertically mirrored convex ridges. The handle tapers at the top, where a circular perforation is topped by a longitudinal groove. Some wear features to the surface, including small chips and scratches and minor earthy encrustations consistent with age.

This seal is accompanied by a professionally baked, modern impression.

Date: Circa 2nd-1st Millennium BC
Provenance: Collected from 1969-1999. From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
Condition: Very good. Minor wear and earthy encrustations to the surface.

SOLD

SKU: KW-159 Category: Tag:

Seals are often made of stone; however, there are also examples rendered in bone, ivory, faience, glass, metal, wood, and occasionally sun-dried or baked clay. In the ancient world, seals guaranteed the authenticity of marked ownership – as such, they were instrumental in legal transactions, and in the protection of goods against theft. Seal amulets with stylised animals or fantasised zoomorphic figural have been found throughout Mesopotamia in contexts dating to the late fourth millennium BC, although stamp seals and cylinder seals are predominant types in the ancient Near East. Horned or antlered animals, including stags, goats and ibexes, are staples in the artistic repertoire as representations of protection or power.

For more about stamp seals, see our relevant blog post: Making their Mark: A Concise Guide to Western Asiatic Stamp Seals

Weight 108.03 g
Dimensions L 4.7 x W 4.4 x H 4.7 cm
Culture

Region

Stone

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