Neo-Babylonian Chalcedony Stamp Seal with Horned Ibex

6TH-4TH CENTURY B.C.

3/4 in. (4.40 grams, 18.46 mm).

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

Provenance

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

Footnotes

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.

CONDITION

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LOT 1429