Hittite Terracotta Fertility Figure

Plano-convex in section with moulded offering scene depicting a man advancing to his left whilst holding out an animal, probably a goat, with four protruding legs; mounted on a custom-made stand. 116 grams total, 10.7 cm high (13.5 cm high including stand)



Acquired 1970s-1980s. Ex Paul S. Forbes collection, Maryland, USA. 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.

Terracotta plaques of this sort were mass- produced from moulds and represented a form of art available to a wide audience. They have been excavated in temples as well as in household shrines and private homes, and give us a mysterious glimpse into religious practices and the ideas that people valued. Their subject matter varies widely, including religious images, mythological and erotic scenes, and representations of rulers and gods.

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: 'Cylinder Seal in Fawn Stone, Concave, 25 x 12.5 mm. The main figures are three; a nude female frontally shown save for her head, which is sideways; facing her a standing figure in a long fringed robe, with one arm awkwardly placed behind him; on the other side of the nude female a kneeling figure holding up a bull by the hind leg. Above the main scene are two browsing quadrupeds, one clearly a stag. Between the nude female and the figure on the left is a head of a horned animal. A second such animal's head above a sideways browsing stag forms a terminal. The whole design is placed between two lines. The seal is Mitanni, c 1400-1200 B.C., from anywhere between the eastern Mediterranean and Kurdistan. It has a very full design and looks like a "common style", but it is cut on stone, not made of frit, and the design is very deeply cut so that a fine, well-rounded impression is given. Also, being of stone, it is more durable than those of frit. Though there is some wear, the deep outlining means that nothing has been lost as a result.'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 6.34 grams, 25 mm



UK private collection, acquired 1980-1983. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in July 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.

Architectural fragment with rectangular band to one edge, carved decorative detailing with inscription. 7.85 kg, 32.6 cm



Private collection, Europe, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1980s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12521-231989. 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.

Amid the many architectural, sculptural, and textual riches of Assyria and Mesopotamia, the broken pieces of basalt bearing fragmentary cuneiform inscriptions have received little attention, but are of fundamental importance. Despite being quite fragmentary, these broken pieces of basalt are the remains of an important witness to the Assyrian imperial presence in the Near East.