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LOT 0247
Mesopotamian Bronze Standing Zoomorphic Torch Bearer
EARLY DYNASTIC II, MID 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
6 7/8 in. (2.28 kg, 17.5 cm).
Comprising a bulbous body with addorsed vulpine heads, standing on a rectangular base and with a circular cage supported on four curved arms above the back; each head with sockets to the eyes to accept inset cabochons.
ProvenanceAcquired before 1983.
Ex London gallery, 1990s.
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 a search certificate number no.12695-236266.
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.
Cf. a similar vessel stand with ibex support in the Metropolitan Museum, accession number 1974.190; Frankfort, H., More Sculpture from the Diyala Region, OIP 60, Chicago, 1943, pls.33-34, 55-57; 91,95; Carter, M.L., Goldstein, S., Harper, P.O., Kawami, T.S., Meyers, P., Splendours of the Ancient East, Antiquities from the al-Sabah collection, London, 2013, figs.1 and nos.1-2-3-4, for metal figures made in similar style; Prell, S., ‘Buckle up and fasten that belt! Metal belts in the early and Middle Bronze Age’ in Ägypten und Levante/Egypt and the Levant, vol.29 (2019), pp.303-330.
FootnotesThe object belongs to a series of artefacts which attest the wide regional trade existing in the mid to late 3rd millennium B.C. in the Mesopotamian lands. Stands of this type were intended to hold offering bowls or lamps.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0247
Mesopotamian Bronze Standing Zoomorphic Torch Bearer
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000€23,200 - 34,800 (for guidance only)$27,000 - 40,500 (for guidance only)
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Western Asiatic Gold and Banded Glass Bead Necklace
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Opening Bid: £250
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Formerly in the collection of Mr S.M., London, formed 1948-2000. Ex property of a North London gentleman. Property of a Californian, USA, collector. 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. -
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Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. 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. This small collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples. 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.
