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LOT 0205
Large Neo-Assyrian Stone Cylinder Seal
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1 3/4 in. (65.7 grams, 44 mm).
With figural frieze between two borders of guilloche ornament: central hero-figure with axe in one raised hand, the other gripping the foreleg of a winged rampant gryphon, with recumbent goat at his feet; behind, radiant sun above a monkey sitting on the rump of a horse with a second gryphon attacking; opposed rampant ibexes flanking a tree; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceFrom the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1970-1990s, thence by descent.
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.
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AUCTIONS:
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Sumerian Terracotta 'Bulla Envelope' with Impressed Decoration
Uruk Period, circa 5500-3100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Complete and of spherical form, containing clay 'tokens'; the outer face impressed with enigmatic motifs. 158 grams, 64 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1988. 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. Accompanied by a copy of previous typed and illustrated cataloguing sheets.
The tokens sealed within the bulla are believed to have been used as part of the accounting process in Sumerian or early Uruk agriculture. -
Sassanian Cut Glass Cup
6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
Conical opaque glass with decorative wheel-cut facets. 150 grams, 11.8 cm wide
From the estate of a late gentleman, 1988. Ex UK collection. -
Western Asiatic Gold Necklace Element
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Slightly curved hollow-formed decorative element from a necklace or collar, with three rows of cells to the segmented body each with a granulated collar, two lentoid eyes two one end and three flanges to the other, open at both ends and plain to the underside. 9.34 grams, 59 mm
From a late Japanese specialist collector, 1970-2000s.
