Large Neo-Babylonian Jasper Cylinder Seal with Contest Scene

Culture: Mesopotamia/New Babylonian

Period: 9th-8th century B.C.

Material: Jasper

Dimensions: 4.9 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 6677

Provenance: From the Austrian collection of Danho Abdul Massich, acquired in 1978 and since then in Austria.

Condition: Intact

Description: Large, finely carved cylinder seal of yellowish jasper depicting a mythological contest scene. At the center stands a bearded hero facing right, embodying divine order. He wears a short garment belted at the waist and raises a sickle sword in his right hand. With the other hand, he grabs a winged hybrid creature by the claw while preparing to strike. The four-legged creature represents chaos subdued by the hero. It stands on its hind legs and has the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, finely detailed wings, and a human head wearing a polos. The star at upper right is the symbol of the goddess Ishtar, indicating that the combat takes place under divine supervision. The crescent moon represents the god Sin and reinforces the ritual, cosmic character of the scene. Cylinder seals of this kind were used in everyday life to seal storage jars or clay tablets. The owner symbolically protected his property through the power of the heroic figure. For comparisons of such popular contest scenes on Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian cylinder seals, see examples in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the object numbers 61.100.80 and 1985.192.4, and in the Walters Art Museum with the accession number 42.827. With beautiful patina from use. Intact.