Composition

Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati – June 2025

Introduction

Whether we have an ancient impression on a seal, or an ancient seal of which we have made a modern impression, we deal here exclusively with the sealing as being the intended visual rendering.

Structure

There are three major fields that may appear in a sealing. The primary motif is a scene which occupies the major portion of the available space. The legend gives written information about the owner. The secondary motif adds a motif that complements the message of the main composition. The main composition is found in all sealings, while the other two fields are optional, hence:
there may be just the main composition with only a legend, as in the seal of Tar'am-Agade:
or just the main composition without either inscription or filler motif:

Primary motif

There are two types of elements that can appear in the main composition.

The major compositional elements are the figures that define the scene.
Major compositional elements are indicated by numbers, as in the sample shown here.
The minor compositional elements are accessories to the main scene.
Minor compositional elements are indicated by lower case letters, as in the sample shown here.
It is often a matter of judgment whether an element is major or minor. For instance, the star in the sample shown here may be considered a major compositional element, depending on the iconographic analysis.

Secondary motif

     The secondary motif may be a single figure or a small scene, iln either case serving as a support for the primary motif, and thus contributing to the definition of the theme.

     As an example of a single figure one may look at the sealing of Zamena immediately above, where a human headed bull may refer to the rank of the prince whom Zamena (the "nurse") is caring for.

     Here are two examples of a complex composition:

a seal of queen Uqnitum with a small "concert," i. e., a woman singing accompanied by another woman with a harp-like instrument – possibly showing a moment in the life at the queen's court;
and a fragment which essentially has only the secondary motif, a very interesting representation of what may be interpreted as a potter's shop.

Legend

The legend is a cuneiform inscription that provides an explanatory caption ot the image, typically giving the name ot the seal's owner. The position of the legend may carry special meaning. One example is the seal of Tar'am-Agade, where the legend is of the same height as the figures of the primary motif, and may have to bee seen as shown here in a central position relatively to the two pairs of figures (rather than on the side of the two paris facing each other. This would emphasize her role as the dsghter of NAram-Sin.
Another example is one seal of Uqnitum where the legend is placed in a position that weighs on the back of the servants performing a task, as if to underscore the dominant power of the queen.
In some cases, the contours of the legend are so designed as to highlight an interplay between te legend and the secondary motif, as in the Zamena shown here.