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LOT 1255
Large Sasanian Clay Bulla with Seal Impressions
4TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/4 in. (34 grams, 46 mm).
Domed body with four seal impressions, one showing the standing nimbate figure of blessing Saint Basil with the Greek inscription 'Αγιος Βα[σι]λ', one with a cross, and two other smaller impressions. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
LiteratureCf. similar bulla in Wamser, L., Die Welt von Byzanz - Europas Östliches Erbe, München, 2004, item 762.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1255
Large Sasanian Clay Bulla with Seal Impressions
Estimate £120 - 170€140 - 200 (for guidance only)$160 - 230 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
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Bactrian Stone Female 'Princess' Idol
Bactria-Margiana, late 3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5,000
Carved as a seated human figure, body with rows of overlapping tufts of fur, set with a bald head carved from cream stone with semi-naturalistic detailing to the face; a separate wig with wavy hair, and separately modelled hands. 540 grams total, 95 mm high
Pallas Gallery (?), early 2000s. Acquired by the current owner from the above. Private collection of a North American lady. Accompanied by a copy of an invoice. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13372-256950.
This wonderful composite stone sculpture of a seated female figure with finely carved features is typical of the area of Bactria-Margiana, from the late 3rd to early 2nd millennium B.C. Among the few three-dimensional images assigned to this period in Central Asia are a group of stone female figures seated or squatting on a platform and wearing a pattern-decorated robe, perhaps imitating sheep's fleece. -
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Western Asiatic Basalt Tablet with Cuneiform Inscription
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
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.
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. -
Western Asiatic Steatite Seal with Animals
3300-2900 B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Rectangular in plan and triangular in section with a median hole, flat face with incuse frieze of ibexes. 38.9 grams, 61 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s.
Some stamp seals from the period of transition between Jemdat Nasr and the Early Dynastic Period of Ur represent animals, and some scholars suggest that they were probably used as pendants or amulets. The animals are somewhat simplified and often reduced to mere lines: a file of animals usually forms the basis of such a pattern.
