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LOT 0863
Aramaic Terracotta Bowl with Magical Incantation
4TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
7 1/2 in. (357 grams, 19 cm wide).
With conical body, the inner face bearing concentric rings of inked magical Aramaic text, repaired.
ProvenanceEx Family collection, London, UK, pre 1988.
LiteratureCf. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, accession number: 80.001.0001.
FootnotesAramaic incantation bowls are particular to the Sassanian period and have been found in regions of modern Iraq. These simple ceramic bowls, also known as magic bowls, each contain an Aramaic inscription, written in ink, which spirals from the centre. The bowls seem to have played an important part in domestic life. For example, during excavation in Nippur in 1889, one or more incantation bowls were found in each house together with domestic artefacts, most often in doorways or under floorboards in the corner of rooms. The bowls are predominantly apotropaic, and the inscriptions tend to protect their owners from misfortunes such as those faced in child-birth, illness and evil spirits.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0863
Aramaic Terracotta Bowl with Magical Incantation
Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
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Very Large Old Babylonian Lexical Cuneiform Tablet
Circa 19th-17th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
With cuneiform text to one broad face; old collector's label 'A1' affixed at the time of Professor Lambert's inspection. 2.27 kg, 25 cm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. 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. -
Mesopotamian Cuneiform Tablet Fragment Group
Early 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Group of three fragments of pillow-shaped tablets with cuneiform text to one or more faces. 159 grams total, 32-70 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. 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. This small collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.
