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Details
LOT 0217
Early Akkadian Shell Cylinder Seal with Attacking Lions
2400-2200 B.C.
1/4 - 1 1/8 in. (16.1 grams total, 8.1-29.57 mm).
Cylinder with cord and bead handles; accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Description of Cylinder Seal of Fossil Shell 30 x 16.5 mm. A god standing in the centre succours a domestic animal on either side which is being attack[ed] in turn by a lion. Terminal: two line[s] below vacant description panel. The seal is of late ED III or early Akkad date, c. 2400-2200 B.C. The cutting is marked by a strong use of the drill. The seal is worn, though the design clear. The meaning of the design is based on real life. Lions were a real threat to the herds and flocks of the community, and it was hoped that the depiction of a god coming to the rescue of the domestic creatures would mean that in real life their animals would be similarly saved by divine help.'; accompanied by a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
Provenance
UK private collection, acquired 1980-1983.
Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in August 1990.
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.
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LOT 0217
Early Akkadian Shell Cylinder Seal with Attacking Lions
Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
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