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LOT 0210
Achaemenid Silver Jar with Lotus Flower
CIRCA 500 B.C.
3 in. (117 grams, 78 mm).
Squat in profile with basal disc, raised panel to the shoulder with lotus flower detailing, low neck and everted rim.
ProvenanceLondon art market, 1980s-2000s.
Private collection, London, UK.
Cf. Gergova, D., Orphic Thrace and Achaemenid Persia in Nieling, J., and Rehm, E., Achaemenid Impact in the Black Sea, communications of powers, Aarhus, 2010, for discussion.
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:
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Western Asiatic Mixed Bead Necklace String
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £39
Restrung designer necklace string of ceramic and stone beads of mainly oblate form, central feature a large cylindrical and annular bead; restrung. 27.7 grams, 30 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Western Asiatic Turquoise Inlaid Gold Stud
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Discoid stud with low sidewall, two loops to underside, three cabochons to the upper face with interstitial cloisons. 1.38 grams, 12 mm
From the collection of a late Japanese gentleman, 1970s onwards. -
Babylonian Head of Humbaba
900-700 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,380
Modelled in the half-round with hollow reverse; thick band of hair above the brow, small deep-set eyes, broad nose and mouth with three raised bands extending to a short beard; mounted on a custom-made stand. 128 grams total, 11.5 cm including stand
London art market, 1995. Private collection, Switzerland. Private collection, London. 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.12971-245208.
Humbaba (or Huwawa) was a demon of Mesopotamian legend, most famously described in the Epic of Gilgamesh. He was appointed by the god Enlil as the terrifying guardian of the Cedar Forest, a place of the gods. His grotesque features, with glaring eyes and monstrous expressions, were said to strike fear into anyone who saw him. Babylonian representations of Humbaba often emphasise this fierce appearance, with distorted facial traits designed to ward off evil. Such images could serve an apotropaic purpose, protecting people and places from harm, while also evoking one of the most memorable figures of Babylonian mythology.
