Stamp Seal: Walking Lion | Harvard Art Museums

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1986.565
Title: Stamp Seal: Walking Lion
Classification: Seals
Work Type: seal
Date: 400-300 BCE
Period: Classical period, Late
Culture: Achaemenid
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/289139

Physical Descriptions

Medium: Gray chalcedony with one brown end
Technique: Intaglio
Dimensions: 1.7 x 2.2 x 1.3 cm (11/16 x 7/8 x 1/2 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: Damon Mezzacappa, gift; to the Harvard Art Museum, 1986.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Damon Mezzacappa
Accession Year: 1986
Object Number: 1986.565
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description: This stamp seal features an image of a walking lion. The lion’s body is rendered by three large drilled holes, with the addition of grooves for legs, and smaller drilled holes for the head and paws. There is a palm branch in the field above the lion’s back. A semi-circular chip is missing from one end of the seal.

A handful of other seals, all with images of animals, exhibit this same carving technique (1). They are generally thought to be from the eastern Mediterranean and of fourth-century BCE date on stylistic grounds.

NOTE

1. J. Boardman, Greek Gems and Finger Rings: Early Bronze Age to Late Classical (London, 1970) 322.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

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