Worshiper led by minor goddess toward enthroned deified king or god holding cup

between 2000 B.C. and 1800 B.C.
black serpentine
23 x 13 mm
Morgan Seal 304
Provenance: 
Acquired by Pierpont Morgan sometime between 1885 and 1908.
Notes: 

"Seals 296-305 depict worship of a figure rendered like the deified kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur, with the difference that the figure is now often seated on a temple throne, earlier reserved for gods of the pantheon. Consequently the figure may here represent not a deified king but a major deity... Among small objects in the field, the combination of vessel and ball staff appears most frequently. These two objects are usually placed in a juxtaposition suggesting some relation between them (299, 302, 304, 308-310)."--Porada, CANES, p. 37-38

Summary: 

Worshiper led by minor goddess toward enthroned deified king or god holding cup -- In field: star; snake; crescent and bird (before seated figure) -- Terminal: rampant goat between ball staff and vessel.

Place: 
Southern Mesopotamia.
Period: 
Classification: 
Department: