Description:

Central Asia, Turkmenistan or Afghanistan, ca. 800 to 600 BCE. A pyramidal stone seal pierced through the upper center for suspension. The face of the seal depicts a griffin in profile, carved with excellent detail, especially on the wing. Seals were crucial tools in the ancient world, used to mark ownership and carried as valuable personal objects. The griffin, a legendary creature with the body and back legs of a lion and the wings, head, and front talons of an eagle, was associated with gold. The rich gold mines of the Altai mountains, not far to the east of where this seal came from, seem a natural home for the legend to take root. Some scholars have even suggested that fossilized dinosaur remains found near these gold mines inspired the myth. Size: 0.6" L x 0.75" W x 1.05" H (1.5 cm x 1.9 cm x 2.7 cm)

Provenance: ex-California Museum of Ancient Art; ex-private southern California, USA collection

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#120952

  • Condition: Intact; seal design is clear. Comes with modern impression of seal on clay.

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April 12, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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