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LOT 0939
Luristan Mouflon Whetstone Terminal
13TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
2 1/2 in. (64 grams, 63 mm wide).
A copper-alloy whetstone terminal in the form of the head and forequarters of a mouflon, with a cylindrical body, legs tucked beneath its chest, large curved horns creating two closed loops, large pricked ears and stylised facial features.
ProvenanceAcquired 1990s.
From an important Paris gallery, France.
Ex Parisian collection.
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AUCTIONS:
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Ur III Cuneiform Tablet, an Inventory of Drivers of Plough Oxen
Late 3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
A pillow-shaped clay tablet bearing dense rows of cuneiform text to both principal faces; an inventory of workers, drivers of plough oxen, under the responsibility of a team leader; among the workers, several are mentioned as 'sick', the lower part of the tablet has been restored, the cuneiform signs on two lines are false. 82 grams, 63 mm
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private Swiss collection since 1998. -
Western Asiatic Bifacial Carnelian Bead with Hebrew Legend
Circa late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
A bifacial carnelian coin bead displaying etched Hebrew text within a geometric frame; drilled for suspension. 6.28 grams, 24 mm
Acquired 1969-1999. London collection of the late Mr S.M., thence by descent. -
Aramaic Magical Bowl Bearing an Incantation Against Evil Spirits
4th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
A ceramic flat-based bowl, inscribed in spiral from the bottom inner wall to the rim with Aramaic text, and on the outer rim. 692 grams, 19.5 cm wide
Early 1990s London collection. Acquired on the UK art market. From a private collection, Lancashire, UK
Aramaic incantation bowls are particular to the Sassanian period and have been found in the regions of modern Iraq. These simple ceramic bowls, also known as magic bowls, each contain an Aramaic inscription, written in ink, which spirals from the centre. The bowls seem to have played an important part in domestic life. For example, during excavation in Nippur in 1889, one or more incantation bowls were found in each house together with domestic artefacts, most often in doorways or under floorboards in the corner of rooms. The bowls are predominantly apotropaic, and the inscriptions tend to protect their owners from misfortunes such as child-birth, illness and evil spirits.
