Gable seal
Unknown Artist
ca. 4000–3600 BCE
Medium
Steatite, brownish-gray
Dimensions
Seal Face: 1.79 x 2.12 cm Height: 0.86 cm
Classification
Stone-Stamp Seals
Period
Early-Middle Gawra
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76
Accession Number
74.51.4375
Tags
Art Historical Context
This petite **Gable Seal**, crafted from brownish-gray steatite around 4000–3600 BCE, hails from the Early-Middle Gawra period the Ancient Near East, likely northern Mesopotamia. Measuring just 1.79 x 2.12 cm on its face and 0.86 cm high, this stone-stamp seal exemplifies the exquisite miniature artistry of prehistoric societies at sites like Tepe Gawra in modern-day Iraq. Steatite, a soft soapstone, was ideal for intricate carving, allowing artisans to incise designs for pressing into clay to seal goods, documents, or containers—early evidence of administrative sophistication. The seal's gab...