70 - A RARE ASSYRIAN SERPENTINITE CYLINDER SEAL WITH A TRADING SCENE

A RARE ASSYRIAN SERPENTINITE CYLINDER SEAL WITH A TRADING SCENE Expert’s note The present seal is particularly remarkable for its unusually narrative and secular subject. Rather than the combat, hunting, or cultic scenes frequently encountered on Middle Assyrian seals, it appears to show a commercial transaction in progress: two bearded men accompany a heavily constructed two-wheeled cart, the foremost guiding or urging the harnessed horse with a long staff, while his companion turns from the rear of the vehicle to pass goods to a third standing figure. A solar emblem appears prominently above the cart. The lively movement and closely observed interaction between the figures accord well with the increased naturalism and narrative quality characteristic of Middle Assyrian glyptic art. Middle Assyrian period, 1200-1050 BC. Finely carved in intaglio with a continuous figural scene centered by a two-wheeled cart drawn by a horse and accompanied by three bearded figures, one receiving goods from the vehicle, with a solar emblem above. Drilled through the center for suspension. Provenance: From the private collection of Danho Adul Massich, Austria, acquired in 1978. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear, signs of use and typical weathering, and the stone with natural fissures and inclusions. Weight: 5.8 g Dimensions: Height 2.6 cm With a modern clay impression. (2) The cylinder seal was an important instrument of administration and personal identity in the ancient Near East. Carved in reverse and rolled across wet clay, it produced a continuous impression used to authenticate documents, transactions, and property. Cylinder seals first appeared in Mesopotamia in the fourth millennium BC and are today an important source for the study of ancient Near Eastern society and imagery. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Middle Assyrian cylinder seal with a chariot combat scene, dated to the 13 th-12 th century BC, 1.1 cm diameter, in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, accession no. 42.741. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 11 December 2009, lot 373 Price: USD 4,750 or approx. EUR 6,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Middle Assyrian obsidian cylinder seal with a charioteer driving a horse over a fallen opponent, circa 13 th century BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating, dark stone, horse-drawn vehicle, and similarly animated multi-figural narrative scene. Note the larger size (3.2 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 12 June 2002, lot 383 Price: USD 4,182 or approx. EUR 6,900 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Middle Assyrian chalcedony cylinder seal with a lion attacking an ibex beneath a winged solar disk, circa 1300-1100 BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating, cylindrical form, finely carved figural composition, and prominent solar emblem above the principal scene. Note the larger size (4.45 cm).