Terracotta Roller Seal, 300 BCE - 300 CE
Terracotta
7.25
PF.1910
Further images
Roller seals were used by cultures in a wide area of the Ancient Americas, from Mexico to Ecuador. Incised with bold patterns, these seals were dipped in pigment and then...
Roller seals were used by cultures in a wide area of the Ancient Americas, from Mexico to Ecuador. Incised with bold patterns, these seals were dipped in pigment and then rolled over a surface, sometimes cloth, sometimes the human body, to create a continuous repeated pattern. This large and splendid example is adorned with abstract floral designs and may have been used for decoraing clothing. An object from daily life, touched and used by vanished hands, it reminds us that the love of ornament is as old as civilization itself.