Stamp seal
Unknown Artist
ca. 5th century CE
Medium
Carnelian
Dimensions
0.08 x 0.55 x 0.47 in. (0.2 x 1.4 x 1.19 cm)
Classification
Stone-Stamp Seals-Inscribed
Culture & Period
Sasanian · Sasanian
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of John Taylor Johnston, 1881
Accession Number
81.6.288
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite carnelian stamp seal, dating to around the 5th century, hails from the Sasanian culture of ancient Iran, a powerhouse empire that bridged the classical world and medieval Persia. Measuring just 0.08 x 0.55 x 0.47 inches, its diminutive size belies its practical power: these seals were essential tools for authentication, pressed into soft clay to mark documents, packages, or in the bustling Sasanian bureaucracy. The "inscribed" classification hints at engraved text—likely in Pahlavi script—alongside motifs featuring animals, a hallmark of Sasanian art symbolizing royal authority,...