Cylinder Seal with Deities and an Inscription

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The depicted scene features a bearded, standing deity in a horned crown carrying a mace or staff. The deity faces a bearded, standing worshipper with one raised arm. Behind the deity is a third figure, standing with both arms raised. All three figures wear long robes. The scene also includes a cuneiform inscription in three registers. Cylinder seals are cylindrical objects carved in reverse (intaglio) in order to leave raised impressions when rolled into clay. Seals were generally used to mark ownership, and they could act as official identifiers, like a signature, for individuals and institutions. A seal’s owner rolled impressions in wet clay to secure property such as baskets, letters, jars, and even rooms and buildings. This clay sealing prevented tampering because it had to be broken in order to access a safeguarded item. Cylinder seals were often made of durable material, usually stone, and most were drilled lengthwise so they could be strung and worn. A seal’s material and the images inscribed on the seal itself could be protective. The artistry and design might be appreciated and considered decorative as well. Cylinder seals were produced in the Near East beginning in the fourth millennium BCE and date to every period through the end of the first millennium BCE.

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Page: 2
Source index: 0
Type: photo
Media ID: d0b9997a5a442aa2
Size: unknown

Document data

ID: 1208
Core: obj
Type: object

DTO data

{
"id": "1208",
"sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.806",
"contentType": "object",
"stage": "normalized",
"title": "Cylinder Seal with Deities and an Inscription",
"description": "The depicted scene features a bearded, standing deity in a horned crown carrying a mace or staff. The deity faces a bearded, standing worshipper with one raised arm. Behind the deity is a third figure, standing with both arms raised. All three figures wear long robes. The scene also includes a cuneiform inscription in three registers. Cylinder seals are cylindrical objects carved in reverse (intaglio) in order to leave raised impressions when rolled into clay. Seals were generally used to mark ownership, and they could act as official identifiers, like a signature, for individuals and institutions. A seal’s owner rolled impressions in wet clay to secure property such as baskets, letters, jars, and even rooms and buildings. This clay sealing prevented tampering because it had to be broken in order to access a safeguarded item. Cylinder seals were often made of durable material, usually stone, and most were drilled lengthwise so they could be strung and worn. A seal’s material and the images inscribed on the seal itself could be protective. The artistry and design might be appreciated and considered decorative as well. Cylinder seals were produced in the Near East beginning in the fourth millennium BCE and date to every period through the end of the first millennium BCE.",
"provenance": "Henry Walters, Baltimore, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sadie Jones (Mrs. Henry Walters), New York, 1931, by inheritance; Joseph Brummer, Paris and New York, 1941, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1941, by purchase.",
"date": "20th-17th century BCE (Old Babylonian/Isin Larsa)",
"citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.806",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
"Precious Stones & Gems",
"cylinder seals"
],
"iiifBase": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_42.806_SideD_DD_T06.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_42.806_SideD_DD_T06.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_42.806_SideD_DD_T06.jpg",
"imageCount": 7,
"pageCount": 7,
"source": "import",
"dimensions": [
{
"units": "cm",
"width": 2.1,
"height": 1.2
}
],
"dimensionsRaw": "H: 13/16 x Diam: 1/2 in. (2.1 x 1.2 cm)"
}

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Document identity

{
    "localId": "1208",
    "label": "Cylinder Seal with Deities and an Inscription",
    "core": "obj",
    "dtoType": "object",
    "citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/42.806"
}

Document source metadata

Document source extras

{
    "cul": "Babylonian",
    "inscriptions": [
        "[Transliteration",
        "Akkadian] 1. {d}szu 2. mu mu 3. mu!-sag-mu [https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival_view.php?ObjectID=P272884]"
    ],
    "med": "brown and white stone",
    "creator_ids": [
        "7023"
    ],
    "collection_ids": [
        "ANE"
    ],
    "exhibition_ids": []
}

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