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LOT 0217
Babylonian Cuneiform Foundation Nail
CIRCA 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
2 1/4 in. (36 grams, 58 mm).
Conical in form with facetted faces bearing cuneiform text. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired by the vendor's mother 1960s-1970s, thence by descent.
Ex Spray family collection, Norfolk, UK.
See Aruz, J., Art of the First Cities. The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus, New York, 2003, 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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Neo Babylonian Agate Duck Weight
Mid 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Carved with the head and neck draped over the back. 11.3 grams, 25 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016. -
Luristan Bronze Spike-Butted Axehead
11th-8th century B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,500
Blade with folded upper and lower edge, cylindrical socket with projecting ribs formed as the necks and heads of birds, blace 'projecting' from the mouth of a roaring lion at the neck. 478 grams, 22.5 cm
Ex Parisian private collection. with Cuvreau Expertises Enchères S.A., sale 60, 21 June 2009, lot 105. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11876-206787. -
Terracotta Magical Bowl Bearing an Incantation Against Evil Spirits
4th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Of rounded, conical form and bearing a spiralling pseudo-Aramaic incantation to the bowl interior. 260 grams, 15.5 cm wide
From a collection of pottery formed in the 1970-1980s.
Aramaic incantation bowls are particular to the Sassanian period and have been found in the 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 child-birth, illness and evil spirits.
