Ancient Art, Antiquities, Books, Natural History, Stamps & Coins

Penannular armband with shallow D-section hoop and terminals formed as stylised ram-heads, each with exaggerated coiled horns, circular eyes set with cream-coloured beads and shallow semi-circular muzzles; transverse bands of geometric motifs along the neck. 616 grams, 10.4 cm



with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s. Private collection, London, UK.

The bracelet is a product of the Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex ('BMAC', also developed from the 'Oxus Civilisation'), which was the dominant culture in the 3rd and 2nd millennium (often dated to c. 2250-1700 B.C.) in that area, corresponding roughly to modern Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The members of the group practised animal husbandry and a limited form of agriculture, with wheeled carts from the 4th millennium B.C. Its craftsmen were proficient at working metals and alloys, including bronze, copper, silver, and gold. Fortified sites with multiple walls are another notable BMAC development.

One of the largest known examples, comprising a thin-walled body and flaring foot, a separately made long spout rivetted to the body; the U-shaped spout resembling the beak of a bird with stylised linear feather detailing to the gracefully curving neck, eleven domed rivets to the edges; the base of the foot with concentric circle decoration. 735 grams, 46 cm



Believed to have been acquired in the 1960s-1970s. From the collection of Mr Jay Gluck (1927–2000) and Mrs Sumi Hiramoto Gluck. Malter Galleries Inc., Auction 80, The Gluck Collection of Ancient Art, 7 April 2002, no.54. Alexander Ancient Art, Netherlands. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13314-257665.

Jay Gluck (1927–2000) was an American author, art historian, and orientalist who spent much of his life in Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific region. A passionate collector and scholar of Asian art and culture, he is perhaps best known for his landmark publication Japan Inside Out (1964), and later A Survey of Persian Handicrafts (1977), co-authored with his wife Sumi Hiramoto Gluck, a Japanese-born artist and cultural collaborator who shared his deep engagement with Eastern art traditions. Together, the Glucks assembled a distinguished collection reflecting their combined expertise and decades of firsthand engagement with the arts of Asia and the ancient world. Items from their collection are held with great regard for the couple's scholarly rigour and the depth of provenance they represent.

Frieze depicting a standing winged figure in profile facing a column with disc above and radiating beams; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 8.37 grams, 30 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

Representing a god in short mantle and round cap with upturned brim, holding a mace in his left hand, before him a goddess standing in a horned crown and kaunakes, her hands raised in supplication; accompanied by a museum-quality impression. 8.96 grams, 27 mm



Ex Mr J.K. collection, USA. Acquired from the above, 1997. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12581-232131.

The seals of the First Isin Dynasty were much more varied than those just preceding the Third Dynasty of Ur. Often the chief god - probably Shamash - is standing, and the 'introducing' goddess is facing him, while the worshipper is not pictured. The seals are a mine for the understanding of the old Babylonian costume. The tunic of the female goddess here is made of tufted material that the Greeks called kaunakes, the weave of which imitated the effect of the earlier sheepskin costumes.

Rectangular in plan and triangular in section with a median hole, flat face with incuse frieze of ibexes. 38.9 grams, 61 mm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.

Some stamp seals from the period of transition between Jemdat Nasr and the Early Dynastic Period of Ur represent animals, and some scholars suggest that they were probably used as pendants or amulets. The animals are somewhat simplified and often reduced to mere lines: a file of animals usually forms the basis of such a pattern.

Plano-convex in section with incuse animal forms to the underside. 82.8 grams, 66 mm



Private collection. Acquired from a Swiss collection, 2002.

The seal shows stylistic affinity with Akkadian seals representing animals. A few scenes of daily life occur on Akkadian seals, chiefly on the small number illustrating the history of Etana and the eagle. If Akkadian, our seal can be considered very rare.

Plano-convex in section with transverse piercing; incuse image on the underside of a charging dromedary camel inside a circular Sasanian inscription; supplied with a museum-quality impression; very rare type. 8.9 grams, 20 mm



From a privately held London, UK, collection from the 1990s.

D-shaped in profile with a round-section loop; obverse with a reserved scene of two lions with hatched detailing to the fur advancing towards a small quadruped placed perpendicular to them; reverse with a median eagle with wings extended and feather detailing, flanked by rearing serpents and a scorpion; mounted on a custom-made stand. 6.25 kg total, 28.3 cm high including stand



with Gallery Rosen Ancient Art, Tel Aviv, 10 November 1969. Ex London, UK, gallery, 1971-early 2000s. London, UK, collection. Accompanied by a copy of an original invoice from Gallery Rosen Ancient Art, 10 November 1969. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13246-252973.

Among the most iconic intercultural style objects are the so-called 'lock' or 'handbag' weights. They have been found in a variety of different colourful stones, such as breccia, chlorite, fossiliferous limestone, calcite and onyx. At the beginning, these objects were probably not weights at all, but were likely badges of high office, carried to indicate authority. Similar objects have been found throughout Mesopotamia, the islands of the Persian Gulf, on the Iranian steppe, and in the Indus Valley.

Drum-shaped steatite vessel with broad flat rim; low-relief frieze to the outer face: dense vegetation panels with hatched treetrunks and fronds, resting quadrupeds, each with the legs folded beneath the body. 5.3 kg, 24.5 cm wide



Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13026-246787.

In Mesopotamia ancient stone-carvers produced a variety of vessels from soft soapstone (steatite) and pale yellow alabaster, along with jewellery. They include cylindrical boxes, cups, high open-rim vases and a few globular jars. Among it the most prominent products were the cups with tall, slender stalks, apparently intended for religious purposes. The repertoire of motifs of the ‘Intercultural Style’ includes vegetal, architectural, and abstract or naturalistic representations of people and animals, depicted in a carved and inlaid technique.

With a characteristic knop to one shoulder, an ellipsoid plaque with cell and inset intaglio, advancing ibex; hollow-formed; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 6.00 grams, 22.16 mm overall, 17.21 x 16.14 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L 1/2, USA 6, Europe 11.87, Japan 11)



From a privately held London, UK, collection from the 1990s.

Comprising a round-section swivel ring set with a carved bull depicted recumbent with its head turned to the right. 4.71 grams, 27.98 mm overall, 19.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)



Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12939-245988.

An oval grey-blue intaglio featuring a reclining antelope, set in a later hollow-form gold ring; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 5.95 grams, 25.63 mm overall, 18.29 x 18.82 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)



Acquired on the European art market.