Asie occidentale Beige Hardstone Amuleto con sigillo a stampo e figura zoomorfa (Senza Prezzo di Riserva)

A Western Asiatic stamp seal made from an attractive beige-pink hardstone featuring a tall pyramidal shape with a flat top. The square base of the seal is engraved with a zoomorphic figure, possibly a mythological creature. The creature is depicted looking over its shoulder, with its tail raised. The seal is perforated near the tip for suspension. Minor scratches and surface pitting. Small chip to the top edge of the face.

Seals in antiquity were 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, though stamp seals and cylinder seals are predominant types in the ancient Near East.

Measurements: (circa) L 2.9cm x W 1.4cm

Provenance: Ex SM collection London, acquired 1970s-2000s.

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