Mesopotamian Terracotta Cuneiform Tablet

Discoid stamp seal with segmented face; accompanied by an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Stamp Seal of Bronze, 19.5 x 19 x 22 mm. The round flat face is compartmented, and the solid back rises to a pierced knob handle. The design divided the circle into four parts with two crossing lines, and within each quarter there is a short line starting from the rim but not reaching the centre. This is a seal from west the Bronze Age of west central Asia, probably dates to c. 2000-1500 B.C. There is some incrustation on the surface, which could be removed, and the metal is in very good condition.' 14.2 grams, 22 mm



Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Ex property of a West London businessman. Academically researched and catalogued by the late Professor Lambert in the early 1990s. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly report, numbered B-34, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert.

A stone frieze with four lines of large cuneiform text accompanied by documentation to support that this a section from the annals of King Ashurnasirpal II: 'Ashurnasirpal (II), great king, mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Tukulti-Ninurta (II), great king, mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Adad-nirari (II), great king, mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, valiant man, who acts with the support of the weapons of Assur, his lord, who has no equal among the princes of the four regions, king who has subdued (the territories extending) from the opposite bank of the Tigris to Mount Lebanon and the Great Sea, the entire land of Laqû, the land of Suhu as far as the city of Rapiqu. He conquered the sources of the Subnat river as far as the land of Nirbu…'; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 2.85 kg total, 36.5 cm wide including stand



Belgian private collection, acquired before 1960, and thence by descent to his widow. with Mrs Drees (?), Brussels, acquired from the widow of the above, 2004. with Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, 28 October 2006, lot 219. with Gorny & Mosch, Munich, 12 December 2023, lot 416. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13369-258955.

Most of the reliefs and inscriptions of this king are in the British Museum and Louvre. Further holdings are in the New York Historical Society, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University. They celebrated the glory of the Assyrians at the apogee of their Empire.

Comprising: a brown steatite seal with drilled motifs; a cream quartz seal with a geometric pattern; an intentionally broken hematite seal with a nude frontal woman, two small figures with antlers beneath, a male with curly hair and another figure with a long neck, a practise piece; a cram limestone seal with three tree motifs; a steatite seal with linear and pellet motifs; supplied with museum-quality impressions. 25.1 grams total, 13-21 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. Accompanied by previous typed catalogue slips with collection nos.11, 12, 54, 62, 71.