Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0234
Elamite Silver Bird Pendant with Inlays
3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
2 in. (10.9 grams, 49 mm).
Formed as two addorsed stylised birds with suspension lug between, remains of a cross to each body together with inlays, including highly reflective fragments, possibly haematite.
Provenance
with a London, UK gallery, 1971-early 2000s.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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.
LOT 0234
Elamite Silver Bird Pendant with Inlays
Estimate £700 - 900€810 - 1,040 (for guidance only)$950 - 1,220 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Western Asiatic Banded Agate Cylinder Seal with Hero
2nd-1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
Barrel-shaped with frieze depicting a human hero with a sword attacking a leaping deer and a winged harpy crouching, the engraving possibly later. 8.4 grams, 29 mm
Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector, collection no.10. London collection, 2016. -
Mesopotamian Decorated Bulla Envelope Containing Tokens
Mid 6th-mid 4th millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,950
Spherical hollow clay mass with the remains of impressions to the exterior and ceramic tokens inside; surface cracked. 169 grams, 61 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. Thence by descent to family members. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.
This bulla envelope likely belonged to the Sumerian or Uruk culture. It is believed that there are less than 250 complete and fragmentary examples of this type of bulla envelope worldwide. This is one of only a handful of examples ever offered at auction. The bulla first emerged in Mesopotamia around 8000 B.C. The clay envelopes contain a number of pre-baked accounting tokens, which were used in commercial and stock-taking transactions. Placing the tokens inside the bulla greatly enhanced the honesty of the transaction, as the bulla would have to be broken or crushed to reveal its contents. -
Mesopotamian Cuneiform Tablet
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
Roughly pillow-shaped in form and bearing cuneiform text to the two principal faces. 24.1 grams, 36 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. Thence by descent to family members. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This small collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.