Middle Eastern (Mesopotamian, Persian) carved stone sitting King 2000 BC-2500 BC. Height with a head: 14 cm; Height without head; 9.5 cm Size of the base 76 mm x 82 mm = 7.6 cm x 8.2 cm; Weight of the body: 2 lb. 6.6 oz. = 1093 g = 1 kg 93 g; Weight of the head: 2.0 oz. = 56 g; Condition: great for the age of 4500 years. Mohs, hardness: 2.5-3.0 (average range for chlorite stones 2.0-3.0); The head was made from different stone – alabaster? Decorations on the body: Large ibex at the bottom, two cheetahs lying on the shoulders, 2 hybrid figures of cheetah with human heads instead of arms. Nineteen soldiers profiles, in front and back. Jiroft iconography & cosmogony: The striking thing in the Jiroft iconography and cosmogony is the total absence of a reference to a concept of the divine. Hybrid figures mastering animals exist in the ancient Neolithic tradition, and are still evidenced at the turn of the 5th to the 4th millennium in Susiana, Iran. This heroic image of man stems from a profoundly human urge to dominate and transcend. The “master of animals” has never been worshipped and cannot be considered as a god. Whereas Mesopotamian glyptic art swarms with “deities” and characters engaged in cult-related hunting or war scenes, similar scenes are unknown at Jiroft. Whereas Mesopotamian, Sumerian, or Semitic cosmogony separates reality from a mysterious world inhabited by supernatural transcendent powers whose favor must be gained, Iranian cosmogony is sober and differently oriented. Two opposing principles arise from the Jiroft imagery: one is negative, with the scorpion and the snake, symbols of suffering and death; the other is positive, with the cheetah and the eagle engaged on the side of man against the reptile. Chlorite stones: The typical general formula is: (Mg,Fe)3(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2·(Mg,Fe)3(OH)6. This formula emphasizes the structure of the group. Chlorite minerals have a generalized chemical composition of (X,Y)4-6(Si,Al)4O10(OH,O)8. The "X" and "Y" in the formula represent ions, which might include: Fe+2, Fe+3, Mg+2, Mn+2, Ni+2, Zn+2, Al+3, Li+1, or Ti+4. The composition and physical properties of chlorites vary as these ions substitute for one another in solid solution. There are 12 different stones, distinguished by chemical formula in the chlorite group. Clinoclore, pennantite, and chamosite are the most common varieties. Several other sub-varieties have been described. A massive compact variety of clinochlore used as a decorative carving stone is referred to by the trade name seraphinite. Provenance: private collection in Near East.
