Elamite Carnelian Necklace with Silver Pendants

Discoid in plan with lug to upper face and suspension loop; underside with incuse pellets to the rim surrounding a tondo with two lines of incised text. 10.77 grams, 24 mm



From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12717-233043. 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.

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: 'Cylinder Seal of soft Black Stone, 18 x 18 mm. The art shows a row of three horned animals, each distinct from the other two by its horns. Over the backs of two there is a ladder motif. This is a seal of the Jemdet Nasr period, c. 3000 B.C., from Mesopotamia or south-west Iran. The bodies of the animals are carefully modelled and the whole work is deeply engraved so that in the impression the animals stand out in deep relief. Of its kind this is a good example, in fine state of preservation. The ideology behind this scene comes from temple herds, because ordinary people rarely owned the larger domesticated animals, but normally sheep and goats. Thus cattle and other horned quadrupeds which were being domesticated at this time were the prized possession of the community. The ladder pattern is probably a stylized form of an ear of barley, which occurs (disproportionately large) behind the animal in some more detailed seal of this period.'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 10.77 grams, 17 mm



From the private collection of a North American lady, formed 1970s-early 1990s, with collection reference no.119-2. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert dated December 1991. 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.

Plano-convex garnet seal with intaglio simurgh motif, portion of wire suspension loop. 2.21 grams, 12.85 mm



Acquired from Ancient and Islamic Art Ltd., February 1993. Thence by descent, private collection, since 1998. 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.