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LOT 0944
Achaemenid Bronze Phiale Mesomphalos
5TH-4TH CENTURY B.C.
6 1/2 in. (186 grams, 16.5 cm wide).
With flanged rim, central mesomphalos boss surrounded by radiating lotus petals.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of M. Cummings, UK, 1990s.
LiteratureSee Godard, F., The Art of Iran, London, 1965, for discussion.
FootnotesPhiale mesomphalos (literally: bowl with central boss) were the most popular form of vessel and were produced in a number of materials, including clay, bronze, silver and gold. They are a distinctive type of Achaemenid tableware, made by hammering or raising sheet metal, with decoration added in repoussé. They were used in banquets held by the nobility and for pouring libations at religious festivals. Phiales of this kind were a common gift from the Achaemenid king to the nobility which helped cement alliances among the different tribes of the Empire. The central boss to the underside allowed the user to secure their fingers and ensure a solid grip whilst drinking or pouring.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0944
Achaemenid Bronze Phiale Mesomphalos
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
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Old Babylonian Cuneiform Tablet
Sumerian, 3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Of pillow-shape with lines of impressed cuneiform text to both principal faces, reading: 1) 1 wineskin suspended from a rope, 2) (for) Šu-Sîn the royal messenger 3-5) when he came <...>. 6) Intermediary Ašgi-tillassu, chief of the weavers. 7) Expense. 8) In the month šugargal, 9-10) the year bis when the priestess of Eridu was 'hired'. 24.2 grams, 36 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1988. Thence by descent to family members. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples. -
Western Asiatic Stone and Other Bead Necklace String
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £85
Restrung with three central feature beads; composed of graduated beads of various types of stone, glass and shell. 19.5 grams, 44 cm long
UK gallery, early 2000s.
Similar beads were found during the excavations of the royal tombs of Nimrud. Thousands of beads were discovered in the sarcophagi, including those of Nimrud’s Queens; they probably originally formed part of wide collars with multiple strands. -
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Western Asiatic Calligraphic Bronze Scribe's Case Decorated with Lions
Circa 13th-14th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Rectangular in section, tapering with lotus-shaped domed knop and pierced suspension lug; lateral faces with reserved calligraphic text on a hatched field; upper and lower faces with a frieze of advancing lions and hounds on a dense foliage field; upper face with filler hole and socket for the brush; Khorasan workmanship. 87 grams, 24 cm
Ex Paris collection. French gallery, Paris, 1990-2000s.
