Neo-Assyrian Carnelian Cylinder Seal with the Tree of Life

Culture: Assyrian

Period: 8th-7th Century B.C.

Material: Carnelian

Dimensions: 2.1 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 6673

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

Condition: Intact

Description: Beautiful carnelian cylinder seal featuring the popular Neo-Assyrian motif of the “Tree of Life.” The sacred plant is rendered with symmetrical, fan-shaped branches, emphasising its role as the “support of the cosmos”. On either side of the tree kneel two bearded priests in adoration, simultaneously tending to the divine growth. Above the tree hovers a deity within a winged disk, likely to be identified as the sun god Šamaš. Behind the adorants, astral symbols such as the crescent moon and a star place the composition within a cosmic framework. Traces of the original bronze suspension remain preserved within the vertical perforation of the seal. For comparison of the “Tree of Life” motifs on cylinder seals, see the object in the British Museum with the registration number 89415 and in the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the inventory number 1984.383.22.