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_900x900.jpg "Luristan Bronze Horse Bit Cheek-Pieces Modelled as Winged Gryphons")
_200x200.jpg "Luristan Bronze Horse Bit Cheek-Pieces Modelled as Winged Gryphons")
.jpg "Luristan Bronze Horse Bit Cheek-Pieces Modelled as Winged Gryphons")
LOT 0221
Luristan Bronze Horse Bit Cheek-Pieces Modelled as Winged Gryphons
8TH–7TH CENTURY B.C.
4 1/8 - 4 1/4 in. (10 1/4 in.) (423 grams total, 10.4-10.7 cm (1.07 kg total, 26 cm wide including stand)).
Comprising a matched pair of cheek-pieces, each a winged gryphon standing on a baseline with head turned to face the viewer, curled tail to rump, lateral horns to the brow; pierced at the shoulder to accept the bit; mounted on a custom-made stand. [2]
ProvenanceA.P. family collection, Europe, from 1969, partly transferred to the United Kingdom in 1981.
London art market, after 2000.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12975-245210.
Cf. similar in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession no.32.161.24.
FootnotesHorse equipment was an important symbol of status and power in the Iron Age Near East. Elaborate bits with decorated cheek-pieces were not only practical items for controlling horses but also served a display function, reflecting the wealth and rank of their owners. The sphinx, a creature combining human and animal features, was a common protective figure in the art of the period. Winged sphinxes, in particular, were associated with divine guardianship and the protection of rulers and warriors. The use of such imagery on horse gear underscored the prestige of cavalry and chariotry in the 8th–7th century BCE, when mounted warfare played a central role in the expansion of Near Eastern empires.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0221
Luristan Bronze Horse Bit Cheek-Pieces Modelled as Winged Gryphons
Estimate £2,500 - 3,500€2,900 - 4,060 (for guidance only)$3,380 - 4,730 (for guidance only)
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Western Asiatic Bead Necklace
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £117
Restrung designer necklace composed of mainly spherical carnelian beads interspersed with glass drop-shapes imitating banded agate; modern clasp. 32 grams, 57 cm long
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. -
Central Asian Bronze Stamp Seal Matrix with Standing Bird
Circa 500-100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Discoid with a standing bird to the centre and loop to the rear; accompanied by typed and signed note by the late W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Stamp Seal of Bronze 24 x 24 x 13 mm. This is a flat disc cut from sheet metal with a pierced handle from the same material fixed on the back. It is round. The design shows a standing bird in the centre, something not yet identified in front of it and above it a crescent and to the side a hatched shape. The whole design is put within a circle of intertwining band. This is a rare seal from west central Asia, c. 500-100 B.C. It is in excellent condition.' 7.9 grams, 25 mm
Ex collection of a late London gentleman, 1990s. Accompanied by an original typed and signed scholarly note by the late W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993. 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. -
Assyrian Gold Earring with Double Twisted Wires
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Comprising a wire hoop with filigree cones and granule clusters. 1.50 grams, 13 mm
From the collection of a late Japanese gentleman, 1970s onwards.
