Loading, please wait...
LOT 1158
Mesopotamian Mottled Grey Stone Macehead
3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 1/4 in. (580 grams, 82 mm).
Piriform with vertical socket expanding towards the narrower end.
ProvenanceEx 1990s collection and with a central London gallery.
LiteratureCf. Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, in Russian, see pl.XXXI, no.30, from Armenia, for similar.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Akkadian Green Jasper Cylinder Seal with Seated Figures
Circa 2300-2200 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £749
Showing a divine drinking scene; accompanied by a museum quality impression and 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 Green Jasper, 23 x 13 mm. Two seated figures face each other. On the right is a male, wearing a flat cap on his head, and a long robe to the feet with a deep fringe at the bottom. He is holding up a flat cup. The figure on the left is female, bare-headed, but wearing a similar long garment with fringe at the bottom, alos a fringe where the fabric overlaps from the waist down. Both figures hold up the same type of cup. Between them stands a servant, in a similar long robe and with bare head, holding a mace at the waist. In the sky there is a star and lunar crescent. A tall slender tree serves as a terminal. This is a Akkadian seal, c. 2300-2200 B.C., from Mesopotamia or a neighbouring region. In view of the flat cap on the male the figures are no doubt divine, and this is then a divine drinking scene. This seal is in excellent state of preservation.' 6.31 grams, 23 mm
From the private collection of a North American lady, formed 1970s-early 1990s, with collection reference no.P18. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in August 1992 and an old photograph. -
Western Asiatic Stone Implement
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Square in section with segmented body and forked end; possibly a yarn-winding tool. 50 grams, 10.6 cm
with Archaeologia, Switzerland, before 1983. Ex private North American collection. London private collection, 2016. -
Sabaean Alabaster Bull
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,750
Carved in the round with integral rectangular base; of sturdy build with thick shoulders, rump and legs; latticed hair texture to the brow. 1.14 kg, 14 cm wide
Mrs Janssens, Belgium, 1970s. Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S000119291. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12980-245246.
In Sabaean religion, the bull signalled strength, fertility, and divine protection, and is often linked by scholarship with the moon-god Almaqah, the principal deity of the kingdom. Small alabaster figures of this type were likely set up as temple offerings or served as fittings within cultic furnishings; flat undersides or discreet mounting points on some examples suggest attachment to a larger ensemble.
