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LOT 0239
Mesopotamian Silver Stamp Seal with Janiform Head of the God Pazuzu
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1 3/8 in. (25.80 grams, 36 mm).
Columnar in form with discoid base supporting a pair of stylised head with almond-shaped eyes, button nose, prominent elongated chin and triangular lobes; suspension loop to the top.
ProvenanceEx Mayfair, London, UK, collection, 1979-1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13072-249423.
Cf. Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, catalog number YPM BC 017054, similar in The Israeli Museum, item number 2009-926.
FootnotesPazuzu was an Assyrian and Babylonian demonic god who was represented with a canine head, scaly body, a snake-headed penis, the talons of a bird, and usually four wings. He is often regarded as an evil underworld demon, but he seems also to have played a beneficent role as a protector against pestilential winds; a bronze figure of Pazuzu in the Louvre, (accession number MNB 467) is inscribed, ‘I am Pazuzu, son of Hanpa, king of the evil spirits of the air which issues violently from mountains, causing much havoc.’ His close association with Lamashtu, a fierce demon goddess responsible for child mortality, resulted in him being used to counter her powers and send her back to the underworld. Amulets of Pazuzu were positioned in dwellings to act as protective barriers to evil powers, or were often in the form of just a head, as in this example, and were hung around the necks of pregnant women. Pazuzu is popularly known today as the demon from the 1973 film ‘The Exorcist’.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0239
Mesopotamian Silver Stamp Seal with Janiform Head of the God Pazuzu
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Tibetan Wooden Bread Stamp with Yak and Inscription
19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Trapezoidal in plan with a thick wedge-shaped handle; image of a zebu with idiograms above. 390 grams, 15.1 cm wide
Private collection, UK. -
Achaemenid Gold Ring with Agate Bull
Circa 500 B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,500
Comprising a round-section swivel ring set with a carved Apis bull depicted recumbent with its head turned to the right. 4.71 grams, 27.98 mm overall, 19.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12939-245988.
The Apis bull was a sacred animal in ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as a living manifestation of the god Ptah and later associated with Osiris and Ra. Regarded as an intermediary between the gods and humanity, the Apis bull was chosen based on specific physical characteristics, such as a black coat with unique white markings. Once identified, it was housed in a grand temple in Memphis, where it was treated with great reverence, adorned with jewellery, and participated in important religious ceremonies. Upon its death, the bull underwent elaborate mummification and burial rituals, symbolising its transition to the afterlife and its continued divine role. The cult of the Apis bull highlights the Egyptians’ deep connection to animals as symbols of divine power and their belief in the interconnectedness of the mortal and spiritual worlds. -
Early Bronze Age Silver Idol
Circa 2400-2100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,872
Of unusual double pelta type, symbolising a female human body, embossed dots to the perimeter and two holes to the centre. 17.88 grams, 64 mm
From a private family collection formed since the early 19th century, thence by descent. Property of a New Zealand legal professional. 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 search certificate number no.12318-223718.
