LOT 0186

Old Babylonian Cylinder Seal with God Holding Mace

1900-1600 B.C.

1 1/8 in. (18.45 grams, 29 mm).

Depicting two sets of figures; accompanied by a museum quality impression and a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Cylinder Seal of Hematite, 29.5 x 15 mm. The engraving consists of two separate sets of figures, the first consisting of two standing facing figures. on the right is a Lamma, wearing a horned tiara and long flounced robe. She raises both hands in greeting to the figure on the left. he is the god with mace, wearing a hat with broad brim and garments which reach only to the knees. In his right hand he holds a sceptre at the waist. In the sky between the two figures is the lunar crescent, and between them near the ground is a shepherd's crook. This pair of figures, like the whole, is Old Babylonian, and dates c. 1900-1700 B.C. The remainder of the engraving was added later, but not after 1600 B.C. There is one isolated figure, standing, but with his head not reaching the top of the seal. He appears to be nude and holds a spouting jar in both hands at his waist, from which two streams of water flow. By his head is the 'mongoose' (or monkey), and the spade symbol fills the space opposite the 'mongoose'. The rest of the area is divided vertically by a line, and each half contains a pair of contestants, put tête bêche to each other. The upper pair are a grappling human-like figure and bull man, the lower pair are a human-like figure grappling with a winged monster. Not enough is known to be sure whether this seal comes from southern or northern Mesopotamia, but it is of considerable interest for the two separate groups of figures engraved by different craftsmen. There is some surface wear, but the whole of the design is well preserved.' [No Reserve]

UK private collection, acquired 1990-1993.

Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in 1990.

Seals were the working signatures of the ancient Near East. Pressed or rolled into wet clay, they secured jars, bags, doors and tablets, and left a distinct impression that identified the owner, authorised a transaction, and showed whether a container had been opened. Stamp seals (pressed once to leave a single emblem) appear from the 7th–4th millennia BC and continue throughout later periods; cylinder seals (rolled to create a repeating frieze) developed in Mesopotamia in the late 4th millennium BC and are used into the 1st millennium BC. Beyond administration, seals were miniature artworks and amulets. Their images—gods and worshippers, royal hunts, banquets, heroes and mythic beasts—broadcast rank, piety and profession, and were believed to protect the owner. Materials range from soft stones to hard chalcedonies, haematite and lapis, worked with drills and abrasives to achieve crisp intaglio cutting. Many were worn on cords or rings and followed their owners through life, sometimes into the grave. Seals matter because they underpin the earliest systems of record-keeping and trade. Impressions on tablets and bullae are primary documents for ancient law, economy and religion; the seals themselves preserve that imagery in the round. For collectors, well-cut examples with sharp impressions, good polish and honest ancient wear are especially desirable, and pieces with early collection histories are keenly sought.