Rock crystal cylinder seal, Kassite Dynasty 16th–12th century BCE

Cylinder Seal with Presentation Scene
Kassite Dynasty of Babylon, 16th–12th century BCE
Rock crystal
H. 3.1 cm
Diam. 1.6 cm

Provenance:
Important private Parisian collection, acquired between the 1970s and 1990s

This cylinder seal is notable for being crafted from a magnificent translucent rock crystal, a material of extreme rarity for this period.

The scene depicts a so-called "presentation scene," where a bearded man, dressed in a long robe and carrying an animal as an offering to the god Marduk, is accompanied by a male deity (or another worshiper?) with raised hands. Behind them stands the goddess Ishtar, shown frontally. Three vertical lines of cuneiform inscriptions.