Vishnu nicolo seal | |
---|---|
Cast of the seal in the British Museum. | |
Material | Agate (nicolo) |
Created | 4th century CE |
Discovered | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan 34°00′N 71°19′E / 34°N 71.32°E |
Present location | British Museum, London |
Registration | 1892,1103.98 |
The Vishnu nicolo seal is a "finely engraved" oval agate seal (1.4 inches by 1.05 inch) from the Gandhara region, dated to the 4th century CE. Since 1892 it has been in the British Museum.[1] Nicolo is an abbreviation of the Italian onicolo, meaning "little onyx", a type of stone, often made of different layers in various shades of blue, used for intagli.[2]
The seal depicts a four-armed deity, probably Vishnu or Vāsudeva,[3] being prayed by a royal devotee. The deity holds Vishnu's classical attributes: the gada club, the chakra discus, the wheel and the lotus.[4][5][1] There is a two-line inscription and a monogram by the worshipper's feet.[1]
The British Museum describes the inscription as "Bactrian", transliterating it: "(1) saso reo iastoo (2) algo", translated as: "Sas-re(w) the leader of worship (?)".[1]
It was found in what was then the North-West Frontier Province of British India, now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan.[1]
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