Harvard Art Museums > 1986.554: Cylinder Seal: Lion Chasing a Stag Seals Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Cylinder Seal: Lion Chasing a Stag , 1986.554,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/289171. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1986.554 Title Cylinder Seal: Lion Chasing a Stag Classification Seals Work Type seal Date 525-350 BCE Period Classical period Culture Achaemenid Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/289171 Physical Descriptions Medium Gray-blue chalcedony Technique Intaglio Dimensions 2.9 x 1.5 cm (1 1/8 x 9/16 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Damon Mezzacappa Accession Year 1986 Object Number 1986.554 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This chalcedony cylinder seal features an image of a lion chasing a stag. Both animals are in mid-leap, with their legs extended almost horizontally. The lion has large paws and a long tail that flies out behind it. Its face and mane are rendered in minute detail, with the nose, eye, ear, and individual tufts of fur all shown. The musculature of the lion’s body is modeled, especially at the shoulder. The stag’s body is more flat, though it is rounded at the shoulder. Its eye, ear, and a four-point antler are all shown. There is no groundline in the scene. A large chip is missing from beneath the stag. Lion attacks occur on Persian and Greek seals of the sixth through fourth centuries BCE. It is difficult to identify where this seal was made, since the modeled carving style is not specific to a certain region. However, cylinder seals were in wide use in the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Furthermore, the impression of a seal on a cuneiform tablet excavated at Persepolis features a comparable scene of lions attacking a stag (1); the carving style and details of this seal are similar to those that appear on the Harvard seal. NOTE 1. J. E. Gates, “The Ethnicity Name Game: What Lies Behind ‘Graeco-Persian?’” Ars Orientalis 32 (2002) fig. 1. Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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
