393, Lot: 849. Estimate $200. Sold for $850. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Steatite stamp seal. Mesopotamia, Proto-Literate Period, circa 3750-3500 BC. Small square cachet in darkened steatite. Carved and pierced handle with linear pattern at top. On face, two crude quadrupeds face right;: above, an uncertain animal with head facing and tail raised; below, a large horned animal, probably a goat, prancing or kneeling; all enclosed within a linear border. Dimensions: 20x20x18mm. Light scattered scratches. Intact.

From the Herbert B. Stearns Collection.