Ancient Oriental Seals in the Collection of Mr. Edward T. Newell

In publishing these two important collections of Oriental seals [OIP 22 and 37] Mr. von der Osten has aimed at presenting the material in as full and convenient a form as possible, not at contributing his own ideas on problems raised by the representations of individual pieces. The whole repertoire is, as it were, gone over twice or even three times. First, in the catalogue, the editor, following Delaporte, gives a description of the seals "as accurately as possible without discussing their designs." Next, in the "Notes," follows a lexicon in which the material is grouped systematically, with full references and such discussion as has seemed indispensable for the proper formal understanding of the designs, and including (a) the elements of the latter: deities, heroes, animals, trees, seats, garments, emblems, and symbols, (b) scenes, mythological and ritual, war and hunting landscape and animal. Indices and (not least) "selected," but in fact very full bibliographies contribute towards fulfilling the author's purpose "to facilitate further general or special studies of seals and their designs."

[From a review by O. E. Ravn in ACTA Orientalia 17 (1939) 239–42]