136 - CYLINDER SEAL

CYLINDER SEAL Soapstone (?) H. 2.4 cm Mesopotamia, Paleo-Babylonian style (?), 19th–17th century B.C. A cylinder seal made of polished black stone, engraved with a continuous frieze. A bearded figure walks to the right, wearing a long, open cloak that reveals his forward leg, in front of a long vertical shaft. Two figures face each other, legs crossed, in a scene of wrestling or confrontation (?). A figure holding a curved staff stands before a figure in a long pleated robe wearing a tiara, perhaps a protective deity (?). A vertical band divided into three sections depicts, from top to bottom, a four-legged creature with a coiled tail, a group of small motifs, and a crouching monkey facing an animal. A polished black stone cylinder seal, intaglio-carved with a continuous frieze. A bearded figure strides to the right, wearing a long open robe revealing the advanced leg, before a tall vertical staff. Two figures face each other with crossed legs, in a contest or combat scene (?). A figure holding a curved staff stands before a figure in a long pleated robe and headdress, possibly a protective deity (?). A vertical panel divided into three registers shows, from top to bottom, a quadruped with a curled tail, a group of small motifs, and a crouching monkey facing an animal.