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LOT 0253
Mitanni Cylinder Seal with Animals in Gold Mounting
CIRCA 1500-1300 B.C.
1 1/2 in. (16.40 grams, 39.56 mm overall, 23.03 x 31.30 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Z+6, USA 15 1/4, Europe 36.34, Japan 34)).
Chalcedony cylinder seal with ancient bronze ring depicting a deer, a sphinx, an ibex, a scorpion and two profile male figures; set into a later gold mounting.
ProvenanceEx Manfred Schwarz, acquired on the German art market before 1970.
Private collection, England.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13144-249540.
Cf. Teissier, B.: Ancient Near Eastern Cylinder Seals, Berkeley, 1984, items 588-9.
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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Hittite Haematite Stamp Seal with Animals
17th–16th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Finely carved with a tubular loop, discoid plaque to the underside with an incuse image of horned animals hunted by lions. 22 grams, 24 mm
From a pre-1992 collection, Geneva and London. -
Western Asiatic Glass Sealing
10th-14th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
Drum-shaped with iridescent surface, reserved bull's head and segmented spiral motifs. 19 grams, 27 mm
From the private collection of the late Mr S.M., 1969-1999. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Bull Rider
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Showing a man on a standing bull, grabbing the hair of a captive with his right hand. 84 grams, 51 mm high
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The statuette can represent the god storm Hazor, a storm deity with lunar traits. The association between a bull and storm deities is well known on Anatolian sealings from 20th-19th century B.C. The portrayal of a god standing on a bull in conjunction with lunar symbols derived from Old Babylonian cult, where the bull was connected with the Moon as a goddess, and continued in the Near East in association with the god Hazor, identified with El, head of the Canaanite pantheon.
