Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0189
Neo-Assyrian Grey Stone Cylinder Seal with Kneeling God
CIRCA 900-800 B.C.
1 1/2 in. (8.7 grams, 39 mm).
With a god shooting a sphinx; accompanied by a museum quality impression and 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 Grey Stone, 39 x 12. Top and bottom borders are filled with rows of chevrons going in opposite directions, and the design between a kneeling god shooting at a facing sphynx with a bird's head. As filling motifs there are: a small tree or plant, a lozenge, a triangle and a crescent. At each end the stone is stained by remains of original bronze caps, and the bronze bar which ran through the central hole is still present, though the rest of the metal, save for traces, has disappeared. This is a Neo-Assyrian cylinder, c. 900-800 B.C., from Assyria itself, or from neighbouring areas.'
Provenance
From the private collection of a North American lady, formed 1970s-early 1990s, with collection reference no.P16.
Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert dated February 1992 and an old photograph.
VETTING:
TimeLine 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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0189
Neo-Assyrian Grey Stone Cylinder Seal with Kneeling God
Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
RELATED LOTS
-
Mesopotamian Stone Vase
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Slightly flared tubular body with flat everted rim. 311 grams, 10.4 cm
Ex Mayfair, London, UK, gallery, 2000s. -
South Arabian Alabaster Head of a Woman
3rd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £585
Modelled with an angular nose with straight ridge, small mouth with raised lips, rounded cheeks and chin, shallow eyes with grooved outlines, shallow ears, short neck, the back and the top of the head left roughly tooled; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 3.3 kg total, 24.3 cm high including stand
UK collection, 1990s. Acquired on the UK art market, before 2000. Private collection, Mr M.V., a London-based businessman.
This finely carved calcite-alabaster head was probably unfinished, as can be seen from the absence of the holes for the inlay of the eyes and the unfinished ears. In the Arabian funerary sculptures of the period, the tops of the heads are usually cut off flat just above the hair line and left roughly tooled. The cut was due to the necessity of fitting them into niches of 'house shrines'. Large stelae with niches containing such heads were found in the Timna Cemetery. -
.jpg)
Luristan Bronze Horse Bit Cheek-Pieces Modelled as Winged Gryphons
8th–7th century B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
Comprising a matched pair of cheek-pieces, each a winged gryphon standing on a baseline with head turned to face the viewer, curled tail to rump, lateral horns to the brow; pierced at the shoulder to accept the bit; mounted on a custom-made stand. 423 grams total, 10.4-10.7 cm (1.07 kg total, 26 cm wide including stand)
A.P. family collection, Europe, from 1969, partly transferred to the United Kingdom in 1981. London art market, after 2000. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12975-245210.
Horse equipment was an important symbol of status and power in the Iron Age Near East. Elaborate bits with decorated cheek-pieces were not only practical items for controlling horses but also served a display function, reflecting the wealth and rank of their owners. The sphinx, a creature combining human and animal features, was a common protective figure in the art of the period. Winged sphinxes, in particular, were associated with divine guardianship and the protection of rulers and warriors. The use of such imagery on horse gear underscored the prestige of cavalry and chariotry in the 8th–7th century BCE, when mounted warfare played a central role in the expansion of Near Eastern empires.
