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LOT 0267
Assyrian Bronze Axehead with Cuneiform Inscription
8TH CENTURY B.C.
3 3/4 in. (141 grams, 94 mm).
Comprising a barrel-shaped socket with rounded collars and a hole to the rear to accept a mounting peg, a wedge-shaped blade with a stepped neck; incised cuneiform text on both faces of the blade and the socket; votive type.
ProvenancePrivate collection, acquired on the European art market in 2002.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13206-249182.
See Various la Mésopotamie entre le Tigre et l'Euphrate, cat. exp. (Musée d'art de Setagaya, 5 août 2000 - 3 décembre 2000, for an inscribed Assyrian axe; Fukuoka, Musée d'art asiatique d'art asiatique, 16 décembre 2000 - 4 mars 2001, Tokyo, NHK, 2001, p. 154, n° 220.
FootnotesThe royal inscriptions on weapons were common in Mesopotamia. Our blade, although younger, finds a parallel with an Assyrian cuneiform-inscribed bronze axe blade bearing the name of the Assyrian king Adad-nirari I, dating back to the reign of King Adad-Nirari I (1307-1275 BC) from Assyria, currently on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0267
Assyrian Bronze Axehead with Cuneiform Inscription
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
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Neo-Babylonian Reused Banded Agate Stamp Seal with Lamassu
Circa 6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Plano-convex type with lamassu motif; lateral edges chipped. 8.62 grams, 20.36 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Sumerian Terracotta Cuneiform Foundation Cone
Circa 2000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
With domed upper face, conical body; incised vertical lines dividing the surface into segments, with impressed cuneiform text; tip absent. 288 grams, 10.26 cm
From the private collection of the late Mr W. Magee, Hartlepool, County Durham, UK, 1960s-1990s, thence by descent. Accompanied by a previous catalogue information card.
Votive cones are one type of royal foundation deposit, objects that were buried in the walls and beneath the floors of important buildings during construction to sanctify the site and to create a historical memory of the ruler and his achievements. -
Sasanian Garnet Gemstone of a Lion
5th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Plano-convex in section with incuse sleeping lion; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.55 grams, 10 mm
Private English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Private collection, London, UK.
