An intaglio hematite object in the shape of a cylinder. It is engraved with an image of a seated man with an arm bent up in front of him. He has a beard and is wearing a long skirt. There is an engraved circle with a star in it next to him.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

An intaglio dark grey, hematite object in the shape of a cylinder with flat ends. It stands upright on a pale grey background. It is engraved with an image of a seated man facing the viewer’s right with an arm bent up in front of him. He has a beard and is wearing a long garment that reaches his feet. There is an engraved circle with a star in it next to him on the right and intersecting carved lines along the bottom underneath him.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1993.183
Title
Cylinder Seal: Presentation Scene
Other Titles
Alternate Title: Cylinder Seal: Suppliant Deity Stands behind Owner of Seal
Classification
Seals
Work Type
seal
Date
c. 2017-1780 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Babylon (Mesopotamia)
Period
Old Babylonian/Isin-Larsa period
Culture
Mesopotamian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/288641

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
Hematite
Technique
Intaglio
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: in two lines, PA-AZU, son of SAGTAR-bani

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Marcopoli collection, Aleppo, (by 1984). McLendon collection, (by 1993), sold; [through Christie's, New York, June 14, 1993, lot 117], sold; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1993.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Marian H. Phinney Fund
Accession Year
1993
Object Number
1993.183
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Suppliant goddess with raised hands behind a worshiper, presumably the seal owner, who, with his hands clasped, approaches a seated king holding a cup; star and crescent above.

Publication History

  • Stephan Wolohojian, ed., Harvard Art Museum/Handbook (Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2008)

Exhibition History

  • Impressions of Mesopotamia: Seals from the Ancient Near East, Arthur M. Sackler Museum
  • Re-View: S422 Ancient & Byzantine Art & Numismatics, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 04/12/2008 - 06/18/2011
  • 32Q: 3440 Middle East, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

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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