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LOT 0264
Neo-Assyrian Black Stone Multifacetted Pazuzu Head
CIRCA 600 B.C.
1 3/8 in. (19.94 grams, 34.28 mm).
Modelled in the round, four addorsed heads, each with snarling mouth and furrowed brow; pierced vertically.
ProvenanceFrom the 'S' collection, London, UK, 1970-1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13286-253337.
Cf. a similar bronze head of Pazuzu in BM, accession no.132964, in Braun-Holzinger, E.A., Figürliche Bronzen aus Mesopotamien, Abteilung I, Band 4, Munich, 1984, pl.53, p.264.
FootnotesPazuzu, in the Mesopotamian mythology, is described as ‘the son of Hanbu and king of wind demons’. Amulets with images of his full body or, more often, just his head, were common in the early first millennium B.C. Pazuzu was most popular in the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods, from about the late 8th century B.C. through the 6th century B.C.
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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Western Asiatic Black Stone Stamp Seal with Animal
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
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From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Large Proto-Sumerian Terracotta Cuneiform Tablet
4th-3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,200
Pillow-shaped with incised grid to the broad faces, dense cuneiform text in the columns with impressed pellet numerals. 236 grams, 89 mm
Private collection, acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s; thence by descent. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13179-249318.
Various collections of cuneiform tablets form a corpus of texts mainly of an administrative nature, from the Uruk III and Ur III periods. The proto-cuneiform, as a system of proto-writing, emerged in Mesopotamia ca.3500-3200 BC, during the Uruk period.
