Carnelian lentoid seal
Unknown Artist
ca. 1600–1400 BCE
Medium
Carnelian
Dimensions
Diameter 1.63 cm
Classification
Gems
Culture & Period
Minoan · Late Minoan I-II
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Richard B. Seager, 1926
Accession Number
26.31.278
Tags
About this artwork
This carnelian lentoid seal, dating from the Late Minoan I-II period (circa 1600–1400 BCE), represents the sophisticated glyptic art of Bronze Age Crete. The seal depicts a wounded lion, captured in a moment of agony with an arrow buried deep in its back—a powerful image of the hunt that dominated Minoan elite culture. Seals like this served multiple functions in Minoan society: as personal identifiers when pressed into clay to seal documents or containers, as amulets offering protection, and as...