Large Byzantine Bone Decorated Spindle Whorl

Pillow-shaped with columnar ribbing to the broad faces, dense cuneiform text in the columns. 57.2 grams, 63 mm



Private collection of Mr K., Maryland, USA. Private collection, Switzerland, acquired in 2000. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12893-241757.

The 2nd millennium B.C. (about 2000–1000 B.C.) was an important period in the ancient Near East, when major civilisations such as the Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, and Egyptians grew in power and influence. It was a time of progress in trade, government, law, and writing, helping us understand how people lived and worked. Cuneiform tablets, which are small clay tablets written in one of the earliest writing systems, were widely used to record business, legal matters, letters, and stories. When these tablets are found outside their place of origin, it can show connections through trade, travel, or official communication, offering insight into both the ancient world and how such objects later moved through collections.

Frieze of rows of insects within linear borders; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.35 grams, 16.7 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

With possibly later frieze of an advancing wolf beneath a crescent moon 11.85 grams, 24.10 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.