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_900x900.jpg "Mesopotamian Pictographic Clay Tablet")
_200x200.jpg "Mesopotamian Pictographic Clay Tablet")
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LOT 0205
Mesopotamian Pictographic Clay Tablet
CIRCA 3000 B.C.
2 3/4 in. (42 grams, 69 mm).
Inscribed on one face with a seven-panelled pictographic grid, with a branch above; the reverse inscribed with a branch and a motif containing two drilled circles.
ProvenanceSpecialised 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.
The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11335-190939.
Cf. similar tablet in the collection of the British Museum, London, under accession number 114789.
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:
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Western Asiatic Alabaster Vessel
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Featuring a carinated profile and flange rim. 269 grams, 12 cm
Very fine condition.
Acquired on the European art market in the 1990s. Ex property of a Suffolk collector. -
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Western Asiatic Bronze Openwork Lamp Stand
Circa 12th century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Hollow-formed with openwork bulb to each end and narrow columnar shaft with openwork and calligraphic detailing in low relief; discoid platter with raised rim and pierced lobes, central knotwork motif; tripod base with openwork dome and low-relief scrollwork; repaired. 1.9 kg, 52.5 cm high
with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s. -
Tel Brak Type Alabaster Eye Idol
Circa 3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Anthropomorphic eye idol, possibly of figurative female form, carved with a bell-shaped body, two 'breasts', remains of openwork 'eyes' above. 33.5 grams, 43 mm
Acquired 1969-1999. London collection of the late Mr S.M., thence by descent.
A classic artefact type from ancient Mesopotamia. Likely hand-carved using drills and string cutting. Eye idols were so named in the 1930s by the British archaeologist Max Mallowan. Whilst excavating a mound called Tel Brak, he discovered hundreds of anthropomorphic items of similar form, thus naming the mound 'Temple of the Eyes'.
