Caption

Cylinder seal with a banquet scene, unknown Assyrian workshop. The cylinder's surface is engraved with a banquet scene featuring two figures seated on either side of a sacrificial table. Above the table are two fish separated by the symbol of the goddess Ishtar — a rhombus with a line in the middle. The figures wear long smooth robes and oval-topped hats with high/wide brims, each holding a palm branch in one hand while the other arm is bent at the elbow at waist level. The vertical field behind both figures is demarcated by two vertical lines and contains three animals arranged one above the other: a winged creature on top and two antelopes lying with legs tucked under below. Iconography includes banquet scenes, rhombuses, palm branches, stools, animals antelopes, fish, and Ishtar. Eastern Gallic scene. 2nd half of the 2nd millennium BC; Middle Assyrian period, Northern Mesopotamia Assyria. Seal; height 4.2 cm, width 1.8 cm, diameter 0.3 cm opening; narrows in the middle to 0.2 cm., A rectangular reddish-brown clay plaque sits against a gray background, with a shallow carved scene of two seated human figures facing each other at a small table; the figures and table are rendered in the same clay color and show simplified profiles and limbs, each figure seated on a carved stool with an X-shaped pattern on its front; vertical carved lines rise behind each figure and faint linear and curved incisions suggest decorative elements around them; the plaque has a slightly raised border and shows subtle tool marks and irregularities in the clay surface, with colors mainly reddish-brown and gray.

Credit line

Photo12/Liszt Collection

Reference

LZT26A03_055

License type

Rights managed

Available size

60.2Mb (4.3Mb) / 18.7in x 12.5in / 5616 x 3744 (300dpi)

Keywords

Cylinder seal banquet scene unknown Assyrian workshop cylinder's surface engraved featuring two figures seated side sacrificial table table two fish separated symbol goddess Ishtar rhombus line middle figures wear long smooth robes oval-topped hats high wide brims holding palm branch hand arm bent elbow waist level vertical field demarcated two vertical lines contains three animals arranged winged creature top two antelopes lying legs tucked under Iconography includes banquet scenes rhombuses palm branches stools animals antelopes fish Ishtar Eastern Gallic scene 2nd half 2nd millennium BC Middle Assyrian period Northern Mesopotamia Assyria Seal height 4.2 cm width 1.8 cm diameter 0.3 cm opening narrows 0.2 cm rectangular reddish-brown clay plaque sits gray background shallow carved scene two seated human figures facing small table rendered clay color simplified profiles limbs figure seated carved stool X-shaped pattern front vertical lines rise figure faint linear curved incisions suggest decorative elements them slightly raised border subtle tool marks irregularities clay surface colors mainly reddish-brown gray.