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LOT 1353
Achaemenid Gold Appliques Depicting Winged Lions
5TH-4TH CENTURY B.C.
1/2 in. (1.92 grams total, 15 mm each).
Comprising seven circular mounts, each with a repoussé winged lion, depicted in a seated pose with its head turned, pierced thrice through the outer rim. [7]
ProvenancePrivate English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s.
Private collection, UK.
See the Oxus Treasure in the British Museum, London, registration nos. 1897,1231.28–30, for closely related examples.
FootnotesGold held immense significance in the Achaemenid Empire, not only as a symbol of wealth and divine favour but also as a practical medium for art, currency, and royal regalia. It was used in architectural decoration, lavish court objects, jewellery, and ceremonial ware, often reflecting the empire’s vast wealth and cosmopolitan reach. Among the prominent motifs in Achaemenid art is the lion-griffin—a mythical creature combining the body of a lion with the wings of an eagle. This powerful image, frequently seen in gold appliqués, seals, and metalwork, conveyed themes of imperial power, protection, and control over both terrestrial and celestial realms. The lion-griffin stood as an emblem of dominance and guardianship, befitting the grandeur of Persia’s imperial ideology.
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AUCTIONS:
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Western Asiatic Bronze Bowl
Mid 1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Broad and shallow with incised concentric rings to the inner face. 231 grams, 19.4 cm
Ex 1990s collection and with a central London gallery. -
Western Asiatic Mixed Stone Bead Necklace String
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £46
Restrung group of disc types in various shades of blue and green. 4.2 grams, 34 cm
London, UK, collection, 2000s. -
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Mitanni Faience Cylinder Seal with Worship Scenes
Circa 1500-1200 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Cylinder Seal of Faience with Green Glaze 43 x 17 mm. The design, which is contained within a line above and another beneath, consists of two scenes of worship. The one shows a stylized sacred tree with a central trunk and five branches each side, all ending in buds, then a pendant hanging from each lowest branch on either side. On left and right and facing the tree are worshippers, both with hands raised. The other scene has two similar worshipers, facing each other with hands raised. Between them the area is divided in the middle by a guilloche. Above it is a stag falling onto its neck, below it is another kind of horned animal, but recumbent and turning its head. This seal is Mitanni, c. 1500-1200 B.C and from anywhere in the area between Syria and Western Kurdistan. It is a product of the Hurrian civilization and the stylized tree is a symbol of the Storm God, Hurrian Teshub, Babylonian Adad, Hebrew Hadad or Baal. The horned animals occur commonly on Mitanni seals, and this seal proves that they are symbolic of some god, but it is not known which one. The guilloche is a standard decorative filler of the period. Faience is a manufactures substance, comparable with the modern porcelain. In the ground it often deteriorates over the centuries and has a powdery surface. This one, however, is in good condition, the only mark of its age being that the glaze has lost something of its original colour, which was turquoise This is an unusually large seal and important since seals of this size and quality are extremely rare.'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 11.3 grams, 42 mm
From the private collection of a North American lady, formed 1970s-early 1990s, with collection reference no.P31. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert dated September 1990.
