Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1182
Neo Babylonian Agate Duck Weight with Engraving
MID 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
1 1/8 in. (11.8 grams, 28 mm).
Modelled as a duck with its head resting along its voluminous back, base engraved with a crescent, dots, lines and triangles.
Provenance
Collected from 1969-1999.
From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
Literature
Cf. Christie's A Peaceable Kingdom/ The Leo Mildenberg Collection of Ancient Animals, London, 2004, item 164; Kozloff, A.P., Animals in Ancient Art, from the Leo Mildenberg collection, Cleveland, 1981, fig.12bis.
Footnotes
There are references to keeping ducks in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia from the third millennium B.C. onwards. One of the most common shapes for Near Eastern weights was 'the sleeping duck'. Representation demonstrates that the duck served chiefly as a meat source, even though a certain cultic significance must also be presumed: the crescent here engraved could be connected with the cult of Ishtar.
CONDITIONVETTING:
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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Rock Crystal Engraved Seal
19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Hexagonal in section with pointed ends, one face ribbed with pierced lugs, one with scrolled tendrils, one with wing and rosettes, three with calligraphic text. 33 grams, 50 mm
Ex London, UK, gallery, 1971. -
Large North West Iranian Spouted Vessel
Circa 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £176
Globular in profile with incised horizontal rings to shoulder and neck, carinated rim, strap handle and short spout with curved reinforcing strap; traces of pigment to shoulder. 3.2 kg, 31.5 cm high
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Luristan Bronze Dress Pin Collection
13th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Including mushroom-head type, poppy-head type with piercing, and other types. 113 grams total, 16-17.5 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
