Sumerian Aragonite Cylinder Seal with Animal Contest Scene

Culture: Sumerian

Period: Early Dynastic Period III, circa 2400 B.C.

Material: Aragonite

Dimensions: 3.1 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 6697

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

Condition: Minimal chipping, otherwise in good condition.

Description: Large, cream-colored cylinder seal carved from aragonite, dating to the Early Dynastic Sumerian period, depicting a combat scene between two heroes and two horned animals. In the dynamic composition, the human combatants stand back-to-back, their heads carved with a hand drill, facing the viewer. They wear an early form of the horned crown as a sign of divine and supernatural power. The animals have long horns, they stand on their hind legs, their heads thrown backwards as they attack the heroes with their forelegs. Their long tails are raised upward and cross one another in a dramatic manner. In this composition, the seal already reveals the roots of later Akkadian art. For this type, see the cylinder seal in the British Museum, registered as 1877,0313.2.