Contest frieze with lion attacking one of two antelopes grasped by flat-capped hero

between 2340 B.C. and 2150 B.C.
black limestone
13 x 5.5 mm
Morgan Seal 137
Provenance: 
Acquired by Pierpont Morgan sometime between 1885 and 1908.
Notes: 

"The seals reflecting the transition from Early Dynastic to Akkad style still utilize the Early Dynastic group showing a hero in the center protecting ruminants against attacking lions. The characterizing feature of these cylinders appears in the postures of the animals, which have been aptly described by Moortgat as producing violent zigzag lines. Sometimes, as in 137 and 138, the second lion is omitted. When the symmetry of the scheme is thus broken, the tendency of the Akkad artists toward realism comes to expression." Porada, CANES, p. 20

Summary: 

Lion attacking one of two antelopes grasped by flat-capped hero.

Place: 
Southern Mesopotamia.
Period: 
Classification: 
Department: