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LOT 0861
Luristan Bronze Pin with Fins
11TH-8TH CENTURY B.C.
7 3/4 in. (66 grams, 19.5 cm).
With a tapering stem, incised chevrons beneath the biconical collar, flanged head with conical finial. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a UK private collection, before 1980.
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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Achaemenid Bronze Phiale Mesomphalos
5th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
With flanged rim, central mesomphalos boss surrounded by radiating lotus petals. 186 grams, 16.5 cm wide
From the collection of M. Cummings, UK, 1990s.
Phiale mesomphalos (literally: bowl with central boss) were the most popular form of vessel and were produced in a number of materials, including clay, bronze, silver and gold. They are a distinctive type of Achaemenid tableware, made by hammering or raising sheet metal, with decoration added in repoussé. They were used in banquets held by the nobility and for pouring libations at religious festivals. Phiales of this kind were a common gift from the Achaemenid king to the nobility which helped cement alliances among the different tribes of the Empire. The central boss to the underside allowed the user to secure their fingers and ensure a solid grip whilst drinking or pouring. -
Assyrian Clay Cuneiform Brick
13th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,420
Roughly tabular and bearing impressed cuneiform text arranged in vertical columns to five of its six faces. 682 grams, 17.5 cm
Ex French art market. with Boisgirard & Associés, Paris, 14 February 2005, lot 246. Private Swiss collection since 2005. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11638-198993. -
Sumerian Terracotta 'Bulla Envelope' with Impressed Decoration
Uruk Period, circa 5500-3100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,210
Complete and of spherical form, containing clay 'tokens'; the outer face impressed with enigmatic motifs. 190 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 two previous illustrated and typed catalogue pages.
The tokens sealed within the bulla are believed to have been used as part of the accounting process in Sumerian or early Uruk agriculture.
