Loading, please wait...
_900x900.jpg "Bactrian Manuscript Fragment of a Letter")
_200x200.jpg "Bactrian Manuscript Fragment of a Letter")
.jpg "Bactrian Manuscript Fragment of a Letter")
LOT 1351
Bactrian Manuscript Fragment of a Letter
6TH-7TH CENTURY AD
6 in. (5.57 grams, 15.5 cm).
A near-complete fragment of a letter in Avestan on leather, recto bearing eight lines of cursive script, faded but largely undamaged; verso bearing traces of at least two lines of text; irregular in shape.
ProvenanceCollection of Bruce Ferrini, USA.
Central London gallery, acquired c.1994.
Property of a UK collector.
For UK buyers only, this item is not exportable from the UK.
Sims-Williams, N., Bactrian Documents from Northern Afghanistan II: Letters and Buddhist Texts (Studies in the Khalili Collections Volume III), London: The Nour Foundation, 2012, pp.24, 106-107, and Bactrian Documents III: pl.169b, 170a.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
South Arabian Alabaster Plaque with Bull's Head
3rd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
Comprising a square panel with a bull's head in low-relief, striated eyes and flaring nostrils, a thick tuft of hair arranged between the eyes, shallow acanthus leaf between curved horns, inscription on the rectangular space at the bottom of the panel; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 2.09 kg total, 19.8 cm including stand
UK collection, 1990s. Acquired on the UK art market, before 2000. Private collection, Mr M.V., a London-based businessman.
The presence of these representations in South Arabian cemeteries attests to the importance of the bull in the religious iconography of pre-Islamic Arabia. -
Achaemenid Bronze Handled Cup
6th-4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Comprising a wide shallow body with repoussé foot and separately applied strap handle. 50 grams, 12.6 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Western Asiatic Stone Macehead
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Piriform with narrow socket. 459 grams, 74 mm
From a West London, UK, collection, 1980-1990s. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
