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.
-
Very Large West Central Asian Bronze Stamp Seal Matrix with Stepped Cross
Circa 2300-2000 B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £80
Square in plan with chevron handle, openwork stepped saltire design. 79 grams, 60 mm
Ex collection of a late London gentleman, 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. -
Sabaean Alabaster Bull
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,750
Carved in the round with integral rectangular base; of sturdy build with thick shoulders, rump and legs; latticed hair texture to the brow. 1.14 kg, 14 cm wide
Mrs Janssens, Belgium, 1970s. Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S000119291. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12980-245246.
In Sabaean religion, the bull signalled strength, fertility, and divine protection, and is often linked by scholarship with the moon-god Almaqah, the principal deity of the kingdom. Small alabaster figures of this type were likely set up as temple offerings or served as fittings within cultic furnishings; flat undersides or discreet mounting points on some examples suggest attachment to a larger ensemble. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Zoomorphic Bell
Early 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Hollow-formed as a beast-head, conical in plan with open muzzle flanked by tusks, raised almond-shaped eyes and bridle bands, segmented band to the brow, two lateral curved horns; rear face with two birds and loop above the aperture. 189 grams, 83 mm wide
Ex London, UK gallery, 1971-early 2000s. Private collection, London, UK.
