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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.
ProvenanceCollected from 1969-1999.
From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
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.
FootnotesThere 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.
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
AUCTIONS:
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Western Asiatic Gold Bead Group
7th-6th century B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £275
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