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LOT 0185
Miniature Sumerian Terracotta 'Bulla Envelope' with Impressed Decoration
15TH-16TH CENTURY B.C.
1 1/4 in. (19.8 grams, 32 mm).
Complete and of irregular pyramidal form, containing clay 'tokens'; the outer face impressed with enigmatic motifs. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceSpecialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1988.
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.
Accompanied by an illustrated two page previous cataloguing document.
Cf. The Oriental Institute Museum, Woods, C. ed., Visible Language: Inventions of Writing in the Ancient Middle East and Beyond, University of Chicago, 2010, p.68, for this type of object and the whole article for relevant discussion.
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
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LOT 0185
Miniature Sumerian Terracotta 'Bulla Envelope' with Impressed Decoration
Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
-
Western Asiatic Stone Macehead
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Tubular in form with tapering profile and collar above the socket. 493 grams, 89 mm
Ex London, UK, gentleman's collection, 1990s. -
Syro-Hittite Bronze Figure
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Modelled in the round, standing figure with pinched facial features, transverse collar, applied pellet eyes and breasts, arms bent forward, legs closed together; the right hand holds a cup or bowl. 13.7 grams, 73 mm
Private collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, 1990s, thence by descent. -
Syro-Hittite Silver Standing Stag
12th-8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13,000
Modelled in the round standing with head raised, recurved horns or antlers, slender muzzle with mouth detailing, incised ring-and-dot motif to shoulders and hips; mounted on a custom-made stand. 69.2 grams total, 80 mm high including stand
London art market, 1978. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12263-220844.
Stylistically, the item shares features with the Hattian stag figurine found in the royal tombs in Alacahöyük (now in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Turkey) and dating from the period 2100-2000 B.C. The use of ring-and-dot embellishments to the flanks is suggestive of some cultural continuity. The animal depicted is probably an ibex rather than a European stag. However, a date of manufacture in the period after the fall of the Hittite Empire in the 12th century B.C. seems more probable.
