Snake, statue of bull with rump protuberance, worshipers

between 2000 B.C. and 1750 B.C.
hematite
18 x 9.5 mm
Morgan Seal 897
Provenance: 
Acquired by Pierpont Morgan sometime between 1885 and 1908.
Notes: 

"Seal 896 has a distinctively Cappadocian theme--a procession of gods on animals. As in 894, the figures are extremely tall and slender, and the horns of the bull are drawn in a single line. The latter characteristically Anatolian feature appears also in 897-899, in which worship of a statue of a bull is depicted. This manner of indicating the horns of the bull, as well as the very clearly defined engraving of these seals, may justify inclusion of them in the Anatolian rather than in the provincial Babylonian group. However, these distinctions are obviously tenuous, a fact that serves well to point up the close relations between the Cappadocian groups."--Porada, CANES, p. 113

Summary: 

Snake; statue of bull with rump protuberance, above crouching lion; three worshipers approaching.

Classification: 
Department: