Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 26052 - Jewellery & Objets de Vertu
Lot: 37

A GROUP OF THREE SASANIAN GOETHITE AND JASPER DOME STAMP SEALS (3)
CIRCA 400-600 AD
Each of dome form with a small suspension hole and plain exterior, the flat faces engraved in intaglio: two in goethite depicting a boar and a gazelle, and one in green jasper depicting a partridge within a border of dots.
Accompanied by moulds.
Cf. Catalogue of the Western Asiatic Seals in the British Museum, Stamp Seals (1969), FH 6; GB 1; HC 3.
Size/dimensions: faces 1.11cm to 1.17cm x 1.05cm to 1.43cm; 1.28cm to 1.50cm overall
Gross weight: 11.08g (total)

The seals are offered in excellent condition. The carvings remain exceptionally sharp. The polished surfaces exhibit very minimal wear, showing only tiny, superficial micro-pitting and minor abrasions consistent with antiquity, while all three pieces remain entirely free of cracks, major chips, or structural damage.


Provenance

From the contents of a private residence, Kent




The Sasanian dynasty ruled Iran and much of the Near East from AD 224, when Ardashir I overthrew the last Parthian king, until the Arab conquests of the mid-seventh century. Seals were used at every level of Sasanian society: to authenticate documents, close containers and secure goods, and to mark the identity and rank of their owners. Thousands of clay sealings recovered from administrative sites show how widely they were used, and many seals were also worn as personal ornaments and valued as amulets.



Most Sasanian seals were cut in hardstones such as carnelian, chalcedony, agate, jasper and rock crystal, and took two principal forms: the ellipsoid, pierced through its length and engraved on a flat oval face, and the dome, with a smaller flat base.



The subjects form a rich repertoire. Animals dominate: the humped zebu bull, the lion, the boar, which was associated with Verethragna, the god of victory, the ibex, gazelle, horse and birds. Some scenes, such as a lion springing upon a bull, continue imagery known in Iran since the Achaemenid period. Alongside them appear portrait busts, mythological and religious figures such as Gay?mard, the first man of Zoroastrian tradition, and abstract devices that served as personal emblems. Many seals carry short inscriptions in Middle Persian (Pahlavi) script, naming the owner or expressing a pious wish.






Subject to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium. For more information please view Terms and Conditions for Buyers.

Estimate
£150 to £200

Starting price
£5