Mitanni Hematite Cylinder Seal with Animal Frieze

Culture: Mitanni

Period: 1500-1350 B.C.

Material: Hematite

Dimensions: 1.5 cm

Price: Sold

Ref: 6701

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

Condition: Intact

Description: Beautifully engraved Mitanni cylinder seal in hematite, engraved with a drill and a graver in the so-called “Common” or folk style. The design shows a frieze of aquatic animals. At the top, a long fish swims; below, two stylised water birds with long beaks crouch. The frieze, which repeats continuously as the seal is rolled, symbolises the eternal order and the cyclical course of the world and nature. See for the type the cylinder seal in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the object number 56.81.10.