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LOT 1245
Mitanni Faience Cylinder Seal with Worship Scenes
CIRCA 1500-1200 B.C.
1 1/4 in. (6.51 grams, 30 mm).
Accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: ' Cylinder Seal of Faience with Turquoise Glaze 30.5 x 14.5 mm. The design consists of a stylized sacred tree and either side of it a standing stag with rump next to the tree, but head turned back. The end of the scene is marked by a simple guilloche in vertical position. The design is framed by a line above and another beneath. This seal is Mitanni, c. 1500-1200 B.C., and from anywhere between Syria and Western Kurdistan. It is a product of the Hurrian civilisation of the area, and the stylized tree is a symbol of the storm god, Hurrian Teshub, Babylonian Adad, Hebrew Hadad or Baal. The tree has a central trunk terminating in a bud, and three branches off each side similarly terminating in buds.The stags occur commonly on Mitanni seals, but while they may well be symbolic, it is not known of what they may be the symbol. The guilloche is a standard decorative filler of the period. Faience is a manufactured substance, comparable to the modern porcelain. In the ground it often deteriorates over the centuries and has a powdery surface. This one, however, is in exceptionally fine condition, the only mark of its age being that the glaze has lost something of its original colour. In this excellent condition, such seals are rare.'; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a North American lady, formed 1970s-early 1990s, with collection reference no.P30.
Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert dated September 1990.
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.
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Western Asiatic Textile with Gold Embroidery
19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
A roughly rectangular netted fabric with embroidered edges, small quatrefoils to the field, and a larger leaf in each corner. 512 grams, 122 x 140 cm
Private collection of a London gentleman, acquired between 1965-2020. 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. -
Syrian Carnelian Cylinder Seal with Figures
Circa 700-800 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,080
Accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: ' Cylinder Seal of Carnelian, 19 x 10 mm. The design, which is placed between upper and lower rulings consists of a group of three figures. In the centre is a deity, standing in a frontal pose, with strange head and body, the head with horns projecting each side, also a tail hanging down between the splayed legs. With each hand he is holding off a composite animal. The one on the right has a quadruped's body with wings and a bird's head. There is a 'bib' between the front legs as the creature sits on its haunches. The creature on the left is meant to be the same, but is slightly different in details due to less space being available. This is a seal from Syria, c. 800-600 B.C., and is an unusual type. It is based on the common Assyro-Babylonian type of a standing god between two animals, but the god in this case is a variant of the Egyptian Bes and the animals are forms of creatures belonging to East Mediterranean art, not to Assyro-Babylonian art. Save for chipping of the edges the seal is in good condition.'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 3.63 grams, 20 mm
Ex N. Colville collection. Acquired Christie's, London, 6 July 1994, lot 159. From the private collection of a North American lady, formed 1970s-early 1990s, with collection reference no.344. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert dated August 1994. 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. -
Amlash Terracotta Bull Rhyton
Early 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £6,500
A hollow-formed ceramic vessel formed as a standing zebu with large hump, ridged tail, pectoral ridge and horns; the head forming the U-channel spout. 601 grams, 25 cm
European private collection, 1983. Ex Anavian Gallery, New York. Private collection, UK. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00019651. Accompanied by a copy of a thermoluminescence analysis report, dated 22 November 1990. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12702-235146. 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.
