Achaemenid Banded Agate Elbow Bead

Comprising: a chess piece silver seal matrix, the lower rim set with turquoise coloured glass cabochon indicating the direction of the seal, set with a dark carnelian intaglio engraved with a calligraphic inscription; a bronze seal bead with three faces, two with an inscription, and one showing a bird with open wings standing on a branch; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 10.82 grams total, 13-25 mm



Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Private collection, London.

Tongue-shaped in profile with incuse image of an advancing ram beneath a crescent moon, arrow in the field. 4.40 grams, 18.46 mm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.

The ibex, a wild mountain goat with distinctive curved horns, was a popular and meaningful motif in ancient Near Eastern art. It often appears in Mesopotamian and Persian imagery, where it could symbolise strength, agility, and a connection to the natural and divine worlds. In some contexts, the ibex is linked with fertility and abundance, particularly through its association with flowing water and vegetation. Its elegant form also made it well suited to small-scale objects such as seals, where its image could serve both a decorative and symbolic purpose, reflecting the beliefs and environment of the cultures that produced them.

Tongue-shaped in profile with robed figure standing before a dais with idols. 8.73 grams, 26.40 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.