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LOT 0289
Neo-Assyrian Stone Relief with Standing Figure
9TH-8TH CENTURY B.C.
9 5/8 in. (2.81 kg, 24.3 cm).
Corner fragment from a high-relief pictorial panel with raised border; domed dais with low-relief scaled detailing; lower legs and sandaled feet in advancing pose with ankle-length open-fronted robe, horizontal woven texture and curled fleece; high-relief stele with flared base, bulbous upper and sugar-loaf finial; pitted surface, with tooling to reverse.
ProvenanceEx German collection, c.1980.
with Toufic Arakji, Hamburg, 1997.
Private collection, Europe.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12579-232134.
Cf. similar costumes and sandals in Directorate General of Antiquities, Assyrian Costumes, Les Costumes Assyriens, Baghdad, 1971, figs.2, 7, 8, 9 (Ashurnasirpal II), 28 (mythological hero), 29 (priest); Houston, M.G., Ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian & Persian costume, London, 1954 (2002), fig.130; see also Assyrian cultic scene in Budge, E.A.W., Assyrian Sculptures in the British Museum, Reign of Ashur-nasir-pal, 885-890 B.C., London, 1914, pl. XI & LIII.4 & LIII.7.
FootnotesStylistically, the figure seems to be linked to the kingdom of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 B.C.) or his son Shalmaneser III (858-824 B.C.). The exposed lower leg with exaggerated musculature is seen in many Assyrian and Babylonian depictions of divine and heroic figures. The position of the figure, corresponding to some reliefs kept in the Louvre, where a spirit is worshipping a poppy flower (Houston, 1954, pl.V.1), and the high-relief carving, strongly refer to a cult scene.
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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Syro-Hittite Terracotta Fertility Figure
Early 1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Modelled in the round with stub arms and elaborate headdress, pierced in several places for attachment of adornments. 55.4 grams, 13.3 cm
Ex private collection, London, UK, 1969-1999. -
Western Asiatic Hittite Standing Statuette Top
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
With pinched facial features, holding a bowl in the right hand. 16 grams, 30 mm
Fine condition.
Property of a Dutch gentleman; formerly in an old collection formed in the 1970s. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent. -
Large Kushan Gold Pendant with Bust of a Goddess
Circa 4th century A.D.Estimate: £12,000 - 17,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £6,000
A late Kushan or Hephthalites Dynasty discoid pendant with a female deity, possibly Nana, at the centre holding a lotus flower in her right hand, hair elaborately dressed and wearing large earrings, necklace and bracelets; enclosed by a border of stylised bull heads and a double-plaited border, the outer edge with raised bosses; later applied polygonal suspension loop with granulated collars and an oval garnet cabochon. 22.11 grams, 71 mm
Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13021-246776.
Nana (Kushan Greek: Νανα, Ναναια, Ναναϸαο, Sogdian Nni) was a Bactrian female deity, a variation of the pan-Asian Nana, a fusion of the Sumero-Babylonian Inanna-Ishtar with a local deity, in her Kušan form with the local (Zoroastrian) Harakhvati Aredvi Sura Anahita. Such syncretism was common among Kušan deities. She was an important patron deity in the Kušan Empire and the most important deity worshipped by Emperor Kaniška (c. 127-150 A.D.).
