cylinder seal
- Museum number
- 89345
- Description
-
Mottled orange, white-pink cornelian and jasper cylinder seal with black veining; antithetical group with a winged hero facing right between two rearing griffins (holding each by one of the forelegs?). The hero's hair is indicated by short strokes rising from the hairband and by a short line and a drill-hole behind his neck, while very small drill-holes indicate the beard over his cheek and chin, with lines ending in drill-holes below; he wears a short-sleeved top and a broad-belted open skirt, with three curved tiers, over a kilt, and all are decorated with double-edged bands of dot-filled squares. His wings are indicated by three rows of very fine strokes and are of equal length. The griffins have (eagle's heads with?) short, closed beaks, drill-holes eyes surrounded by a circle, no crest, short necks decorated with very fine drill-holes, only one lowered wing visible, and tails indicated by a drooping crescentic line; the ribs of the griffin on the left are marked and its leonine haunch is smooth, but the belly of the griffin on the right is decorated with very small drill-holes and it has a hatched haunch; their feet, which are on different levels, are indicated by small inverted 'V'-shapes. Edges chipped; fault in front of the left-hand griffin. Slightly barrel-shaped.
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 1.00 - 1.10 centimetres
-
Height: 2.35 centimetres
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Fair; edges chipped; fault on design.
- Acquisition date
- 1884
- Department
- Middle East
- BM/Big number
- 89345
- Registration number
- 1884,1013.6