Mesopotamian Cuneiform Brick Fragment with Royal Text

With animals and standing figure, restrung pair of red stone beads, old handwritten label '1614'; accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Cylinder Seal of Hematite, 19.5.x9.5 mm. The design consists of one item occupying the full height of the space, the other items being in effect in two registers. The human figure is full-height, wearing a robe to the ground, holding one hand to the waist, the other up. The lower register consists mainly of two recumbent horned animals, each facing backwards towards a sacred- tree. To the right is a smaller quadruped, to the left a rosette and star. Above a griffin is attacking a quadruped, while behind. The griffin is another quadruped, but horned and recumbent. This seal is Mitanni Elaborate Style, c. 1500-1200 B.C. from Syria or north Mesopotamia. It is cut, as normal for this type of seal, mainly with the cutting wheel and drill, and is a fine example of its kind.'; accompanied by a museum-quality impression. 6.2 grams, 19 mm



UK private collection, acquired 1980-1983. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in 1991. 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.

Small mouth raised sharply in the middle, large nose with angular depressions for the nostrils, deep eye sockets to accept inlay, upper and lower eyelids with rounded ridges, eyebrows tapering towards the outer end; chiselled ears, top of the head cut off flat at the hair line, back of the head left roughly tooled with central vertical insertion pin; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 2.12 kg total, 18.7 cm including stand



UK collection, 1990s. Acquired on the UK art market, before 2000. Private collection, Mr M.V., a London-based businessman. 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.

Usually the heads of this typology are exhibited frontally and in symmetrical manner. Many of the heads have rather angular features. Nearly all the objects in this category were ornamented with inlay- the eyes and the eyebrows, in many cases. The sockets designed to receive the inlaid eyes are usually shaped in a rather naturalistic way.

Reclining pig in profile with an elongated snout, circular recess for an eye insert, pierced through the centre; incised central line and three dots to each side on the reverse. 10.8 grams, 36 mm



From a Mayfair, London, UK, gallery, 1990s. From a private UK collection. 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.