Sealing
Unknown Artist
ca. 7th century CE
Medium
Un-baked clay
Dimensions
0.43 in. (1.09 cm)
Classification
Clay-Sealings
Culture & Period
Sasanian · Sasanian
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
36.30.269
Art Historical Context
Step into the world of Sasanian Persia with this delicate *Sealing*, a tiny un-baked clay impression from the 7th century. Measuring just 0.43 inches (1.09 cm), it belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Ancient Near Eastern Art collection, acquired through the Rogers Fund in 193. Crafted by an unknown artist the Sasanian period (224–651 CE), this artifact exemplifies everyday administrative tools from one of antiquity's most sophisticated empires. Sasanian sealings like this one were pressed from cylinder seals onto soft, un-baked clay to secure documents, containers, or parcels, ensurin...