Fatimid Rock Crystal 'Knight' Gaming Piece

Square in plan with drilled footprints with four toe impressions to one side; pierced for suspension. 15 grams, 26 mm



From the 'S' collection, acquired 1970-1990s. Accompanied by a description from Peter Gert Van der Veen, senior lecturer of Levantine Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz. 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.

Carved in the round bust with heavily hatched brow and cheeks, D-shaped eyes, snubbed feline nose, ellipsoid mouth gaping with teeth exposed, segmented panel to chest. 47 grams, 37 mm



European art market, 1997. Acquired by the present owner from the above. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.12596-232196. 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.

Pazuzu, in the old Mesopotamian mythology, is described as ‘the son of Hanbu and king of wind demons’. Amulets with images of his full body or, more often, just his head, were common in the early first millennium B.C. Pazuzu was most popular in the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods, from about the late 8th century B.C. through the 6th century B.C.

Bowl fragment including section of the carinated rim, radiating repoussé teardrop bosses with interstitial lotus-flowers motifs and radiating rosette motif below; incised Egyptian hieroglyphic legend below the rim transliterated as 'ı͗nṯry(p sic )wš pr-ꜤꜢ pꜢ ꜤꜢ' (Darius, the Great Pharaoh); mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.23 kg total, 26.7 cm wide including stand



Previously in the private collection of Mr S.A, acquired on the London art market in the 1960s. Accompanied by a copy of a previous illustrated three page cataloguing/report. Accompanied by a copy of an IADAA Interpol search certificate. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12709-235450. 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.

Egyptologist Paul Whelan writes: "The inscription reads: ı͗nṯry(p sic )wš pr-ꜤꜢ pꜢ ꜤꜢ (Darius, the Great Pharaoh). The ancient Egyptians encountered difficulties in rendering the name Darius in hieroglyphs, with at least seventeen known variants. This version differs slightly from those, as it also includes an erroneous ‘p’ hieroglyph. The presence of several cuneiform signs following the hieroglyphs indicates that the phiale likely once featured multilingual versions of the inscription - a practice more commonly found on stone vessels. The epithet ‘the Great Pharaoh’ on this fragment represents one of the earliest examples, appearing more frequently in inscriptions from the reign of Xerxes." A hieroglyphic inscription on an Achaemenid item is very rare, although examples on stone vessels are known. Darius I 'the Great' ruled from 522 to 486 B.C. His predecessor, Cambyses II, conquered Egypt in 525 B.C. and the presence of this inscription is probably linked to the subsequent rule of the dynasty over Egypt and its influence on the Egyptian priestly caste.