{"product_id":"neo-babylonian-achaemenid-graeco-persian-smoky-chalcedony-conoid-stamp-seal","title":"Neo-Babylonian Achaemenid Graeco-Persian Smoky Chalcedony Conoid Stamp Seal","description":"\u003cp class=\"my-2 [\u0026amp;+p]:mt-4 [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2\"\u003eMesopotamia or Western Achaemenid Provinces, ca. 7th–4th Century BCE\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"my-2 [\u0026amp;+p]:mt-4 [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2\"\u003eMounted as a 14K Gold Pendant Necklace\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"my-2 [\u0026amp;+p]:mt-4 [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2\"\u003eA fine and well-polished domed conoid stamp seal of translucent smoky grey chalcedony, a stone type particularly favored by Neo-Babylonian and Achaemenid seal-cutters and paralleled by examples in the British Museum and the Walters Art Museum. The circular flat face is briskly cut in the linear (\"cursive\") drilled style of the 1st-millennium BCE Mesopotamian\/Persian glyptic tradition, depicting a lively standing figure,  a royal hero, worshipper, or deity  wearing a tall horned or polos-like headdress, his body in profile with arms raised, brandishing weapons (a club\/mace and a short sword or dagger), with a small animal (couchant quadruped or subdued lion\/ibex) at his feet and subsidiary star\/filler motifs in the field. The horned crown and \"Master of Animals\" stance are classic hallmarks of Neo-Babylonian conoid seals (ca. 7th–6th century BCE) and of the western Achaemenid \"court style\" that continued the iconography into the 5th–4th century BCE.\u003cspan class=\"citation-nbsp\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"group\/trigger inline-flex min-w-0\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation inline\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"my-2 [\u0026amp;+p]:mt-4 [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2\"\u003eThe dome is vertically pierced through the apex for suspension — the original intended mode of wear on a cord around the owner's neck or wrist — and has been strung on a modern wearable 14K gold rope chain for present display.\u003cspan class=\"citation-nbsp\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"group\/trigger inline-flex min-w-0\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"citation inline\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"my-2 [\u0026amp;+p]:mt-4 [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [\u0026amp;_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2\"\u003eDimensions: Seal 7\/8 × 7\/8 × 13\/16 in. (approx. 2.2 × 2.2 × 2.1 cm); chain length 22 in.\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Intact; crisp intaglio; fine polish to the domed body; natural minor surface wear consistent with age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-editorial font-bold mb-2 mt-4 [.has-inline-images_\u0026amp;]:clear-end text-lg first:mt-0 md:text-lg [hr+\u0026amp;]:mt-4\" id=\"provenance\"\u003eProvenance:  Private collection, Newark, Delaware, acquired prior to 1981 which satisfies the pre-1970\/1983 UNESCO-era provenance threshold preferred by major auction houses for ancient Near Eastern seals.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Art for Eternity","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53415504871738,"sku":"14635","price":995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0775\/5120\/6714\/files\/14635.jpg?v=1778098870","url":"https:\/\/howardnowes.com\/products\/neo-babylonian-achaemenid-graeco-persian-smoky-chalcedony-conoid-stamp-seal","provider":"Art for Eternity","version":"1.0","type":"link"}