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HOME :
Near Eastern Art :
Miscellaneous : Zoomorphic Votive Seal with an Intaglio
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Zoomorphic Votive Seal with an Intaglio - D.0028
Origin: Lake Van, Anatolia
Circa: 4000
BC
to 3000
BC
Collection: Near Eastern
Medium: Dickite
Location: United States
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| Description |
It is difficult to know for certain what animal this
charming seal represents, but it is possibly a
horned owl, a rabbit, or a mythical griffin. On
the bottom is the intaglio image of a graceful
water bird, either swan or duck. With a cache of
related objects, it was found near lake van in
Armenia. Thousands of years ago, these dickite
sculptures were left as gifts to win the favor of
some powerful god. The cult, whose iconography
focuses on animal fertility and nature, may also
have concerned rebirth and the afterlife. The bird
may represent the idea of the soul. Pressed into
soft wax or clay, the seal would have created
multiple images to please the god. As we hold it
in our hands today, we are in touch with the
dawn of western culture.
- (D.0028)
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