URL photos on Flickr

The scene on this seal features a central motif of a tree. On one side, a bearded hero is holding an inverted bovid; on the other, a bull man is holding an inverted lion. There are cuneiform inscriptions running through the scene in two places.

Cylinder seals are cylindrical objects carved in reverse (intaglio) in order to leave raised impressions when rolled into clay. Seals were generally used to mark ownership, and they could act as official identifiers, like a signature, for individuals and institutions. A seal’s owner rolled impressions in wet clay to secure property such as baskets, letters, jars, and even rooms and buildings. This clay sealing prevented tampering because it had to be broken in order to access a safeguarded item. Cylinder seals were often made of durable material, usually stone, and most were drilled lengthwise so they could be strung and worn. A seal’s material and the images inscribed on the seal itself could be protective. The artistry and design might be appreciated and considered decorative as well. Cylinder seals were produced in the Near East beginning in the fourth millennium BCE and date to every period through the end of the first millennium BCE.

Akkadian

Diam: 13/16 in. (2.1 cm)

medium: green stone

culture: Akkadian

Walters Art Museum, 1941, by purchase.

art.thewalters.org/detail/4594

François I Brandishing a Sword by museado

François I Brandishing a Sword, c. 1815–30. Alexandre-Evariste Fragonard (French, 1781–1850). Pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash with graphite underdrawing and white and yellow gouache heightening on wove paper; sheet: 16.9 x 12.2 cm (6 5/8 x 4 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2019.254

More at clevelandart.org/art/2019.254

Portrait of a Gentleman | Charles F. Berger active 1841–90s by museado