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LOT 1244
Mesopotamian Terracotta Cuneiform School Exercise Tablet
CIRCA 1950-1700 B.C.
4 in. (250 grams, 10.3 cm).
Discoid in plan and lentoid in section, bearing cuneiform scribal work in large characters on one side. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992.
Thence by descent to family members and dispersed in 1988 in London and Geneva.
Such scribal tablets are always of this round shape. Type IV tablets, also known as 'lentils', are circular tablets containing one or a few lines of a composition written out once by the teacher and then a second time by the student, either underneath (typical of Nippur tablets), or on the reverse. This would appear to be an example of the former.
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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LOT 1244
Mesopotamian Terracotta Cuneiform School Exercise Tablet
Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
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Sumerian Terracotta Eye Idol
3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
With conical hollow-form body and large looped eyes (one partial). 170 grams, 11.5 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. -
Mesopotamian Stone Cylinder Seal with Combat Scene
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
With combat scene comprising a standing bearded male with ankle-length fringed kilt and four wings, gripping the forelegs of two rearing winged gryphons; the stone slightly polished; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 13 grams, 32 mm
Ex S. collection, London, UK, 1980s-2000s. -
Bactrian Decorated Pillar Idol in Black Stone
Circa 2750-2334 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
Formed as a tapering column with flared base, shallow slot to the upper face, horizontal bands of scales and foliage. 2.69 kg, 19 cm
Ex London, UK, gallery, 1971-early 2000s. with Kallos Gallery, London, UK.