Sasanian Banded Agate Stamp Seals | Confronted Stags
Western Asia, Sasanian Empire, ca. 400–600 CE. A pair of dome-form stamp seals cut from banded agate, one warm brown and cream, the other layered in cream, amber and near-black strata. Each is drilled laterally for suspension, and each bears an oval intaglio device of two standing stags confronted, antlers raised and flanks marked with crisp linear striations, engraved with the wheel and drill in the compact idiom of late Sasanian glyptic. Such seals served as personal signets, pressed into clay sealings to authenticate documents, goods and stores, and were worn on a cord as both credential and amulet. The paired stags likely carry a charge of fertility and good fortune rather than portraiture. Size: 0.938" Diam (2.4 cm Diam).
Sasanian seals are among the most abundant surviving artifacts of the empire, and their imagery ranges from royal busts and Zoroastrian fire altars to single animals, monograms and inscriptions in Pahlavi. Domed and hemispherical forms with a lateral suspension hole, as here, are characteristic of the later empire, when the seal doubled as a wearable pendant. Animal devices dominate the non-official repertoire: stags, rams, boars and horses read as bringers of khwarrah, the divine fortune or glory that Sasanian thought attached to kings, animals and fortunate men alike. Confronted pairs flanking an implied axis descend from a far older Near Eastern heraldic scheme, retained here in shorthand.
Provenance: Private NYC. collection, acquired from Henry Anavian, Sumer Gallery, NYC., 1980’s.
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 #
73276
Condition
Both are intact with some minor stamp face edge wear from use and the other has a minor edge flake.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
Western Asia, Sasanian Empire, ca. 400–600 CE. A pair of dome-form stamp seals cut from banded agate, one warm brown and cream, the other layered in cream, amber and near-black strata. Each is drilled laterally for suspension, and each bears an oval intaglio device of two standing stags confronted, antlers raised and flanks marked with crisp linear striations, engraved with the wheel and drill in the compact idiom of late Sasanian glyptic. Such seals served as personal signets, pressed into clay sealings to authenticate documents, goods and stores, and were worn on a cord as both credential and amulet. The paired stags likely carry a charge of fertility and good fortune rather than portraiture. Size: 0.938" Diam (2.4 cm Diam).
Sasanian seals are among the most abundant surviving artifacts of the empire, and their imagery ranges from royal busts and Zoroastrian fire altars to single animals, monograms and inscriptions in Pahlavi. Domed and hemispherical forms with a lateral suspension hole, as here, are characteristic of the later empire, when the seal doubled as a wearable pendant. Animal devices dominate the non-official repertoire: stags, rams, boars and horses read as bringers of khwarrah, the divine fortune or glory that Sasanian thought attached to kings, animals and fortunate men alike. Confronted pairs flanking an implied axis descend from a far older Near Eastern heraldic scheme, retained here in shorthand.
Provenance: Private NYC. collection, acquired from Henry Anavian, Sumer Gallery, NYC., 1980’s.
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 #
73276
Condition
Both are intact with some minor stamp face edge wear from use and the other has a minor edge flake.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Sale price
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
