Image Details

Wayne T. Pitard

The fiery wings of the sun disc of the Persian deity Ahura-Mazda would not be visible in traditional seal publications, which show rolled impressions created by seals instead of the material itself. The artist used the natural brown and white banded waves on this agate stone to create an image of the sun’s rays at dawn, resulting in an unusual impression of the sun-disc below the three magi, rather than above.