Large Western Asiatic Terracotta Statue Head

Including triangular, leaf-shaped, barbed, paddle-shaped arrowheads with a flat, comparatively wide mid-rib, and others. 205 grams total, 37-93 mm



Ex London art market, 1980-1990s. 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.

Fourteen arrowheads of this group were typical of the Old Babylonian Empire. The shoulders were pronounced and the arrowhead had a rectangular-section tapering tang. This simple form was popular across the ancient Near East, and similar items have been found in the Holy Land.

Modelled in the round as a zebu standing four-square with head raised; columnar muzzle with shallow slit mouth, discoid eye-sockets to accept and inlay; lateral loops at the shoulder and tubular filler-hole; separate hump forming a lid with corresponding loops for attachment. 870 grams, 16.5 cm wide



Private collection, New York, 1987. with Bonhams, London, 1 May 2013, no.154. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. Accompanied by a copy of French passport no.119527. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12976-245249.

The majestic zebu bull, with its heavy dewlap and wide curving horns, was considered to be a symbol of majesty and power since the first civilizations of the Indus Valley. It was the leader of the herd, the strength and virility (then symbol of fecundity) of which protected the group and ensured the procreation of the species. This is the reason why it was often chosen for sacrificial rites. It probably represented the emblem of the most powerful clans or top classes of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa and it was the most impressive motif found in these cities, appearing constantly on painted pottery and bronze or clay figurines of the Indus area.

A hollow-formed figure or idol head with conical cap, pinched facial form, applied brows and other detailing; mounted on a stand. 600 grams, 16 cm

Fine condition.

Property of a Cambridgeshire lady; formerly in the Igor Karmiloff collection (1925-2016), UN economist and author of Flashbacks, Icons of Impermanence, Bloomington, 2009; acquired in the 1950s-early 1990s. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.