Worshiper led by minor goddess toward enthroned king

between 2112 and 2004 B.C.
black steatite
25 x 13.5 mm
Morgan Seal 292
Provenance: 
Acquired by Pierpont Morgan sometime between 1885 and 1908.
Notes: 

"A new feature of the seals of the Third Dynasty of Ur, as contrasted with those of the Akkad period, is the figure of a king who, in the manner of a god, receives a worshiper introduced by a minor deity (291-294). This representation originated because the kings of this dynasty were deified during life. Details that differentiate the representations of the deities of the pantheon from renderings of a deified king are the latter's attire--a firinged cloak and a round cap with upturned brim--and his throne, which is a stool, apparently upholstered, and covered with a flounced material or perhaps fur. Gods, in contrast, wear horned miters and flounced robes and sit on thrones shaped like shrines. Furthermore, the king always holds a cup, whereas the god as a rule merely raises his hand in a welcoming gesture ... The unusually large size of this seal, as well as the bold modeling, suggests that the stone belongs to the early part of the period."--Porada, CANES, p. 35

Summary: 

Worshiper led by minor goddess toward enthroned king holding cup -- In field: scorpion ; star disk in crescent -- Terminal: inscription.

Place: 
Southern Mesopotamia.
Period: 
Classification: 
Department: