Details

LOT 0263

Mesopotamian Heavy Silver Bead Necklace

3RD-EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.

22 in. (224 grams, 56 cm).

Restrung and comprising mainly spherical, elongated ovals, oblates, and biconical shapes; accompanied by a custom-made lined display box.

Provenance

Numismatic and Ancient Art Gallery AG, Ancient Art of the Mediterranean World, No 8, no.5, c.1982.
Taisei Gallery, Gold & Silver Auction, Part II, Ancient to Renaissance, 5 November 1992, The Conrad Salon, The Waldorf-Astoria, New York, no.39.
Private collection, London.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13265-253358.

Literature

Cf. Bass, G.F. ‘A Hoard of Trojan and Sumerian Jewelry’ in Aja, no.70, 1974, pp.335-341, for similar metal beads. Pl.85, fig.24-25.

Footnotes

The Sumerian word for silver is kú-babbar, which means ‘white metal’. Silver was mined from ores that contained significant amounts of other metals and impurities and therefore requires a great deal of further processing before it can be used. It was considered sacred and immutable, and an extremely high-status material, used for royal jewellery.