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Lentoid seal with a lion attacking a quadruped
Early Aegean, Minoan or Helladic
Bronze Age, Late Minoan or Helladic IIIA Period
about 1420–1315 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Carnelian
Dimensions
1.9 x 2 x 0.9 cm (3/4 x 13/16 x 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Beulah H. Emmet
Accession Number1971.176
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSeals
DescriptionReddish sard. Lentoid seal (slightly flattened); pierced vertically. Lion with hindquarter in profile and frontal face to left attacking a quadruped (a bull or a deer) in profile to left below. The hindquarter of the quadruped is propped up against the lion’s thigh while its head is held down by the lion’s paws and jaws. Schematic style with drill used for eyes, muzzles, paws and articulations. Hatched mane. Milky layer and browning in the back from heat (?).
ProvenanceBy 1928: Mrs. Beulah H. Emmet Collection (one of a group of gems [MFA 1971.159-.176] acquired on Crete from Mr. Kephalogiannis in 1928, according to M. H. Wiencke, AJA 73 [1969], p. 33); gift of Mrs. Beulah H. Emmet to MFA, April 14, 1971