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A marble anamorphic form. The bottom of the piece is flat with two visible legs horizontal along the body. The rounded head sits upright and has two shallow holes for eyes. The wide ears on top are round and flat against the head.

An off-white marble anamorphic form that is shown on a grey background and facing the viewer. The body is laying down and the bottom of the piece is flat with two visible legs horizontal along the body. There is a deep hole on the center-bottom. The rounded head sits upright on the left hand side and has two shallow holes for eyes. The wide ears on top are round and flat against the head. There is some yellow coloration along the head and top of the body.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1931.162.6
Title
Stamp Seal in the Shape of a Recumbent Bull: Two Dogs?
Classification
Seals
Work Type
seal
Date
c. 3100-2900 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Nuzi (Mesopotamia)
Period
Jemdet Nasr period
Culture
Mesopotamian
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/292376

Location

Location
Level 3, Room 3440, Ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Art, Ancient Middle Eastern Art in the Service of Kings
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Marble
Technique
Intaglio
Dimensions
2.2 x 3.4 x 2.5 cm (7/8 x 1 5/16 x 1 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Excavated from Yorghan Tepe, Iraq, (December 1930).

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard-Baghdad School Expedition
Accession Year
1931
Object Number
1931.162.6
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
Zoomorphic stamp seal in the shape of a reclining bull with head, horns, and legs clearly represented. The bull's eyes are indicated by drilled holes. The piece is pierced laterally near the base. An incised decoration of two quadrupeds (dogs?) appears on the flat underside. The animals' bodies were created by shallow drill holes and the limbs by incised lines, making taxonomic identification difficult.

Exhibition History

  • Impressions of Mesopotamia: Seals from the Ancient Near East, Arthur M. Sackler Museum
  • Nuzi and the Hurrians, Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, Cambridge, 04/01/1998 - 05/01/2008
  • 32Q: 3440 Middle East, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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