A Near Eastern circular stamp seal amulet made from a black hardstone featuring a winged quadruped, with two long horns. The animal is depicted in a static pose with one hoof raised and its wings spread behind it. The background is decorated with numerous short incisions and some form of vegetation depicted in front of the animal. The piece features a knob on the reverse with a perforation for suspension. The impression is for reference only. Animals occupied a prominent place in ancient art across a number of civilisations and across a variety of media, including painting, pottery, and jewellery. Some animals were venerated, whilst others were sacrificed. Their depiction is thus endowed with significance in several contexts: in religious rituals, as mythical creatures, and as incarnations or symbols of gods and goddesses. Seal amulets with stylised animals or fantasised zoomorphic figural have been found throughout Mesopotamia in contexts dating to the late forth millennium BC, although stamp seals and cylinder seals are predominant types in the ancient Near East. Measurements: Diametre 3.2 cm x H 1.6 cm Provenance: From SM London collection, by descent, 1970-99