Assyrian Gold Earrings with Bosses

A restrung necklace of fusiform carnelian beads with silver-gilt spacers, seven hollow-formed silver pendants each with a domed upper face and repoussé rosette motif, second loop to the lower edge. 54 grams, 36 cm

Fine condition.

Acquired before 1990. Central London gallery. Private collection of a North West London lady.

With a dynamic scene depicting a Shah on horseback shooting arrows from his bow; a leaping quadruped with an arrow through its neck racing in front of the galloping stocky horse; a fallen boar with an arrow on its back laying on the foreground, and another large boar charging towards the horse on the upper field; a hunting dog on the lower field and a pair of birds behind the horse; the king wearing a crown and mantle, a scabbard hanging from his waist; low foot to base; repaired. 505 grams, 21.3 cm wide



Private US collection, kept in Switzerland, since the 1960s. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00122910. 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.12023-214175.

Various are the parallels for this scene, visible on many silver plates of Sassanian and Post-Sassanian periods. Good parallels can be found with plates in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Peroz or Kavad I hunting rams, Harper & Meyers,1981, p.XII, pl.17), in the Museum fur Islamische Künst, Berlin (King hunting, Harper & Meyers,1981, pl.20) and especially with the silver-gilt plate from Nizhne Shakharovka (king hunting boars, Harper & Meyers, 1981, pl.32).

Comprising three rings: one with an openwork hoop and raised bezel set with a glass intaglio; one with keeled hoop and lentoid bezel with incised foliate design; one with a D-section hoop supporting a raised bezel with inscription in two lines. 19 grams total, 22-26 mm



UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.