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LOT 1428
Canaanite Bronze Figure
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
2 1/2 in. (18.8 grams total, 65 mm including stand).
A slender bronze figurine of a standing male with lowered arms, piriform head with bulbous eyes and slit mouth; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a medical professional; formerly part of a collection formed in Toulouse, France, since 1967.
From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.
For a similar figure in 'Anatolian' pose from the 'Simiriyan' Group, cf. Negbi, O., Canaanite Gods in Metal, Tel Aviv. 1976, pp.10-13, fig.15/55; for figures of similar type, cf. Aruz, J. (ed.), Beyond Babylon. Art, Trade and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C., Exhibition Catalogue, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2008, pp.23-24.
FootnotesThese representations in the style of figurines presumably represented household deities who were guardians of the home. In some cases figurines of this type were produced in groups of two or four.
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-Assyrian Stone Relief with Standing Figure
9th-8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
Corner fragment from a high-relief pictorial panel with raised border; domed dais with low-relief scaled detailing; lower legs and sandaled feet in advancing pose with ankle-length open-fronted robe, horizontal woven texture and curled fleece; high-relief stele with flared base, bulbous upper and sugar-loaf finial; pitted surface, with tooling to reverse. 2.81 kg, 24.3 cm
Ex German collection, c.1980. with Toufic Arakji, Hamburg, 1997. Private collection, Europe. 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 no.12579-232134.
Stylistically, the figure seems to be linked to the kingdom of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 B.C.) or his son Shalmaneser III (858-824 B.C.). The exposed lower leg with exaggerated musculature is seen in many Assyrian and Babylonian depictions of divine and heroic figures. The position of the figure, corresponding to some reliefs kept in the Louvre, where a spirit is worshipping a poppy flower (Houston, 1954, pl.V.1), and the high-relief carving, strongly refer to a cult scene. -
Syro-Hittite Terracotta Fertility Figure Group
Early 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Modelled in the half-round on a low conical base, three stylised beaked heads with pointillé headdresses. 37.2 grams, 84 mm
Ex private collection, London, UK, 1969-1999. -
Banded Alabaster Globular Jar
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Globular in profile with low neck and broad square-section rim; mineralised bronze deposit to base. 156 grams, 80 mm
Ex William Ohly, 1883-1955. Ex Abbey Museum, Barnet, by descent.