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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.0038
Origin: Lake Van, Anatolia
Circa: 4000
BC
to 3000
BC
Collection: Near Eastern
Medium: Dickite
Location: United States
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| Description |
Originally an offering at the shrine of a powerful
deity, his votive seal was discovered with a cache
of related artifacts along the shores of Lake Van
in Armenia. The cult most likely centered around
a nature god, one concerned also with fertility
and rebirth. This abstract animal, perhaps a
turtle, maybe a quail, was most likely worn as an
amulet by a worshiper. The intaglio on the base
depicts a waterfowl, and may have stood in
proxy for a more costly sacrifice. Pressed into
soft wax or clay. It would have created multiple
images to please the deity. Abstract and elegant
yet closely observant of nature, this remarkable
seal evokes a vanished world at the dawn of
western culture.
- (D.0038)
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