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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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Banded Alabaster Globular Jar
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Globular in profile with low neck and broad square-section rim; mineralised bronze deposit to base. 156 grams, 80 mm
Ex William Ohly, 1883-1955. Ex Abbey Museum, Barnet, by descent. -
Judean Terracotta Shephelah Oil Lamp
3rd-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Comprising a drum-shaped body with a flat base and a low rim to the filler-hole, a long D-shaped nozzle. 79 grams, 85 mm
From the Lloyd and Jeanne Raport collection, Washington, D.C. and Florida, USA, formed between 1972-2000. Acquired through Bonhams, London, UK. -
Central Asian Bronze Animal Roundel
1400-1700 A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Discoid mount with low-relief animal design; accompanied by an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Bronze Disk 27 x 27 x 6.5 mm This is a round disk with a 'milled' edge. on the back of which a loop of strip metal is attached. The design on the face consists of a standing horned animal facing a tall slender tree, two crosses, one above the back, one between the legs of the animal, and a row of nine big dots under and behind the animal. This comes from west central Asia and most probably dates to c. 1400-1700 A.D. It is a button, no doubt for a formal garment such as a uniform. It is in very good condition.' 5.02 grams, 27 mm
Ex 'S' collection, 1970s-1990s. Accompanied by an original typed and signed scholarly note by the late W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
