Loading, please wait...
LOT 0253
Achaemenid Elaborate Gold Earring
CIRCA 5TH CENTURY B.C.
2 in. (13.55 grams, 51 mm).
Crescent plaque with granulated inner borders and radiating triangles of granulation surrounded by a band of nineteen spheres, representing pomegranates, each with a filigree collar above and below, the outer band consisting of smaller spheres with a granulated pyramidal finial, at the centre a teardrop-shaped garnet cabochon set in a cell with a granulated border flanked by spirals.
ProvenanceEx David Lindhal, London, UK, in the 1990s.
From a privately held London, UK, collection from the 1980s-1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13267-253966.
See very similar earrings in the Metropolitan Museum, accession no. 1995.180a,b; Schmidt, E.F., Persepolis I, Structures, Reliefs, Inscriptions, Chicago, 1953; Schmidt, E.F., Persepolis II, Contents of the Treasury and other discoveries, Chicago, 1957, pl.44 no.27; Ogden, J.M., Gold Jewellery in Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine Egypt, In two volumes, Volume 2 – Figures, Durham, 1990; Ogden, J. and Williams, D., Greek Gold Jewelry of The Classical World, New York, 1994.
FootnotesFruits were generally considered to be a symbol of sensuality, temptation and fertility; the giving and accepting of fruit may be regarded as a symbolic sexual act, or at least a prelude to marriage. It follows naturally that the pomegranate, with its innumerable fleshy seeds symbolising life and fecundity, was an attribute of Aphrodite.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0253
Achaemenid Elaborate Gold Earring
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
-
Western Asiatic Glass and Stone Bead Necklace String
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £26
Composed of oblate and other beads with a mother-of-pearl pendant, restrung. 40.4 grams, 39 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
'Professor Erlenmeyer’s First Cylinder Seal' A Neo-Sumerian Haematite Seal of Abbamu, Scribe, Son of Bazige
Mesopotamia, Third Dynasty of Ur, circa 2100-2000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £8,450
Finely carved in haematite with a formal presentation scene: a goddess sitting enthroned upon a dais, clad in a flounced robe and a multiple-horned tiara, her arm extended in reception; before her a similarly attired interceding goddess approaching, leading a robed worshipper into the divine presence; lunar crescent in the field, with three-line inscription within a panel: 'Abbamu, scribe, son of Bazige'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 18 grams, 27 mm
From the private collection of Professor Dr. Hans (1900-1967) and Mrs Erlenmeyer, Switzerland. The Erlenmeyer Foundation, Basel Switzerland, since 1981. with Sotheby's, Western Asiatic Cylinder Seals and Antiquities from the Erlenmeyer Collection (Part 1), London, 9 July 1992, no.109. Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Sotheby's catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13283-253486.
Prof Hans Erlenmeyer was a noted Swiss collector from 1943 to circa 1960; he and his wife established the Erlenmeyer Foundation. This seal is of particular note as the first cylinder seal given to Professor and Mrs Erlenmeyer. Its imagery belongs to the religious and political language of the Third Dynasty of Ur, when order was restored after the collapse of the Akkadian dynasty. In the eyes of the ancient Mesopotamians, that earlier collapse could be understood as a sign of divine displeasure; under Ur III, renewed piety and correct devotion assumed central importance. The presentation scene seen here reflects that world precisely: the seal owner is led by a minor goddess, or Lamma, into the presence of his personal deity. Seals of this class are valued for their exacting workmanship and disciplined clarity of design. Though they lack the freer energy of the Akkadian age, they possess instead a ceremonial gravity and devotional precision that are wholly characteristic of Neo-Sumerian art. -
Seljuk Carved Stone Head of a Prince
12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Comprising a shield-shaped finial with a stylised human head wearing a tall headdress with a double-band at the top, U-shaped neck with a crescentic plaque; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 50.5 grams, 60 mm
with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s.
