8th C. Abbasid Chalcedony Seal Intaglio with Kufic Inscription
Near East, Persia, Islamic, Abbasid period, ca. 750–1000 CE. An oval signet ring bezel cut from dark chalcedony. Its flat face is engraved in intaglio with a short Kufic legend inside an inner oval frame. The letters rise in upright strokes with squared ends, and the opening word may read "Allah", a common invocation on seals of the period. A border of notches and pellets runs around the frame. Like any seal, the legend was presumably cut in reverse so that it read correctly when pressed into clay or wax, letting its owner seal letters, documents, and goods. The stone was once set in a metal ring, now lost. It is a small personal object that was both a mark of identity and a working signature, light enough to wear every day. Size: 0.18" H x 0.78" L x 0.64" W (0.5 cm H x 2.0 cm L x 1.6 cm W).
The ring of pellets and short bars around the central field is a habit inherited from Sasanian seal-cutting, where similar beaded borders framed both portrait and inscribed seals. Engravers in the Persian lands kept the convention after the Islamic conquest, replacing figural images and Middle Persian legends with Arabic in Kufic script. Seals like this one show that continuity at the scale of a single workshop: an older Persian decorative frame around a new script and a new faith.
In the early Islamic world the signet was a legal instrument as well as an ornament. A seal impression could authenticate correspondence and contracts or secure a container. Legends were usually a personal name, a short pious phrase, or an invocation of God, sometimes combined.
Provenance: ex-private collection New Jersey, USA, via family descent, originally acquired in the 1980s
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #205248
Condition
Some light surface wear, but, otherwise, intact and very nice with clear script.
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
Near East, Persia, Islamic, Abbasid period, ca. 750–1000 CE. An oval signet ring bezel cut from dark chalcedony. Its flat face is engraved in intaglio with a short Kufic legend inside an inner oval frame. The letters rise in upright strokes with squared ends, and the opening word may read "Allah", a common invocation on seals of the period. A border of notches and pellets runs around the frame. Like any seal, the legend was presumably cut in reverse so that it read correctly when pressed into clay or wax, letting its owner seal letters, documents, and goods. The stone was once set in a metal ring, now lost. It is a small personal object that was both a mark of identity and a working signature, light enough to wear every day. Size: 0.18" H x 0.78" L x 0.64" W (0.5 cm H x 2.0 cm L x 1.6 cm W).
The ring of pellets and short bars around the central field is a habit inherited from Sasanian seal-cutting, where similar beaded borders framed both portrait and inscribed seals. Engravers in the Persian lands kept the convention after the Islamic conquest, replacing figural images and Middle Persian legends with Arabic in Kufic script. Seals like this one show that continuity at the scale of a single workshop: an older Persian decorative frame around a new script and a new faith.
In the early Islamic world the signet was a legal instrument as well as an ornament. A seal impression could authenticate correspondence and contracts or secure a container. Legends were usually a personal name, a short pious phrase, or an invocation of God, sometimes combined.
Provenance: ex-private collection New Jersey, USA, via family descent, originally acquired in the 1980s
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #205248
Condition
Some light surface wear, but, otherwise, intact and very nice with clear script.
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
