COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
MMA_.1987.96.22
AMICA Library Year:
2002
Object Type:
Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
Description:
The earliest stone seals of the Gulf region were made of steatite hardened by firing and often glazed after they were carved. The impression of the hemispherical stamp seal depicted here shows a male figure in the upper field who grasps a caprid by the neck. To the left, a male figure holds a staff. Below, a recumbent caprid reclines beneath a gridded rectangle. A snake and perhaps a monkey(?) are also depicted in the field. The hemispherical form and round sealing face are typical of seals of the Gulf region, as are the incised lines and concentric circles that decorate the back of this seal. Similar seals have been found in Mesopotamia, Iran, and the Indus Valley, areas with which Gulf merchants traded and with whom they shared a common visual vocabulary.
Creator Nationality:
Asian; Middle Eastern; Arabian; Dilmun
Creator Name-CRT:
Gulf region (ancient Dilmun)
Title:
Modern Impression of a stamped seal: hunters and goats , rectangular pen(?)
View:
Principal view
Creation Date:
early 2nd millennium B.C.
Creation Start Date:
0
Creation End Date:
0
Materials and Techniques:
Steatite or chlorite
Creation Place:
Gulf region (ancient Dilmun)
Dimensions:
H. 1/2 in. (1.27 cm)
AMICA Contributor:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location:
New York, New York
ID Number:
1987.96.22
Credit Line:
Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1987
Copyright:
Copyright ? 2002 The Metropolitan Museum of Art . All rights reserved.
Related Image Identifier Link:
MMA_.h1_1987.96.22.tif
