A cast bronze stamp with a flat, round surface. The surface is carved with lines that make a swirling, circular pattern around and a detailed circle in the center.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

A dark green-brown cast bronze stamp with a flat, round surface. It is shown on a white background with the flat surface showing. The surface is carved with lines that make a swirling, circular pattern around the outer edge and a detailed circle in the center. There are small dots in the negative space.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2000.194.1
Title
Stamp Steal: Eagle, Spirals, and Guilloche
Classification
Seals
Work Type
seal
Date
19th-8th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Anatolia
Period
Bronze Age, Late
Culture
Anatolian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/181700

Location

Location
Level 3, Room 3440, Ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Art, Ancient Middle Eastern Art in the Service of Kings
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
h. 2.8 x diam. 2.4 cm (1 1/8 x 15/16 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 89.09; Sn, 9.55; Pb, 0.22; Zn, 0.49; Fe, 0.14; Ni, 0.16; Ag, 0.09; Sb, less than 0.05; As, 0.15; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.105; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, zinc, iron, arsenic
K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The patina is pale green and black. The stamp seal is intact, but some surfaces are not well preserved. The seal was cast by the lost-wax process with the designs for the stamp apparently done in the wax model prior to casting.


Carol Snow (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Hans Silvius von Aulock, Istanbul (by 2000); sold [through Christie's, New York, June 13, 2000, no.522] to Harvard University Art Museums.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Leslie Cheek, Jr. and Purchase through the generosity of Sol Rabin and the Marian H. Phinney Fund
Accession Year
2000
Object Number
2000.194.1
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Stylized eagle surrounded by spiral and guilloche (cable) designs.

Publication History

  • Hans Henning van der Osten, Altorientalische Siegelsteine der Sammlung Hans Silvius von Aulock, Almquist & Wiksells Boktryckeri AB (Uppsala, 1957), p. 94, no. 86, fig.

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 3440 Middle East, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Related Objects

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu