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Seal

2nd century BC-2nd century AD (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
India (made)

A flat circular seal stone, probably a bezel from a finger ring. It bears a finely carved intaglio of a prancing winged borse.


Object details

Categories
Sculpture
SCRAN
Object type
Seal
Materials and techniques
Carnelian stone
Carnelian
Brief description
Carnelian, North-west of the Indian subcontinent from the Gandhara region, late 2nd century B.C. early 1st century A.D
Physical description
A flat circular seal stone, probably a bezel from a finger ring. It bears a finely carved intaglio of a prancing winged borse.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 1.8cm
Object history
Bought from Maj. Genl. H.L. Haughton CB, CIE, CBE, 1948.
Historical context
This seal is engraved with a winged horse, familiar in the Greek tradition as Pegasus. The workmanship on this seal is of an extremely high standard an dbears close comparison to the work of Greek engravers. It may well be an import from the West.
Production
North-west of the Indian subcontinent,
Subject depicted
Bulls
Bibliographic references
  • Swallow, Deborah and John Guy eds. Arts of India: 1550-1900. text by Rosemary Crill, John Guy, Veronica Murphy, Susan Stronge and Deborah Swallow. London : V&A Publications, 1990. 240 p., ill. ISBN 1851770224
  • Susan Stronge, Nima Smith, and J.C. Harle. A Golden Treasury : Jewellery from the Indian Subcontinent London : Victoria and Albert Museum in association with Mapin Publishing, Ahmedabad, 1988. ISBN: 0944142168 Plate 12, page 18
  • The Crossroads of Asia : transformation in image and symbol in the art of ancient Afghanistan and Pakistan / edited by Elizabeth Errington and Joe Cribb with Maggie Claringbull. Cambridge: Ancient India and Iran Trust, 1992 Number: 0951839918 p. 151, cat. no. 151
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IS.39-1948

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Record createdFebruary 13, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O24846/seal-unknown/
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