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Details
LOT 0218
Large Kassite Chalcedony Cylinder Seal for the God Samnuha from Samsanu
16TH-12TH CENTURY B.C.
1 3/4 in. (22.66 grams, 46 mm).
Pierced longitudinally, incised with four columns of cuneiform script in a rectangular frame with one character outside, translating to: 'To the god Samnuha, great lord, Samsanu, sha reshi-official, for the life of [the king] Samnuha-shar-ilani, his Lord, he made and gave (this seal)'; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
Provenance
Private collection, acquired before 1993; thence by descent.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13214-249317.
Literature
Cf. similar but a more elaborate item in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under object no.1985.357.29; see also Konstantopoulos, G., ‘Inscribed Kassite Cylinder Seals in the Metropolitan Museum’ in Metropolitan Museum Journal, 53, 2018, pp.96-113, figs.1-14.
Footnotes
Several styles of seal-carving are known from the Kassite period. Kassite period artists often drew upon the rich historical traditions of Mesopotamia. In this case, the long-dead Sumerian language and archaic signs were used to write the inscription.
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LOT 0218
Large Kassite Chalcedony Cylinder Seal for the God Samnuha from Samsanu
Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,100
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