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LOT 0204
Neo-Babylonian Banded Agate Cylinder Seal with Bull-Man Contest Scene
7TH-6TH CENTURY B.C.
1 1/2 in. (12.6 grams, 36 mm).
Frieze with contest scene, winged divinity in profile grasping the hindleg of a bull while lion raises its foreleg preparing to strike; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceFrom the 'S' collection, acquired 1970-1990s.
The collection was seen and studied by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12250-222162.
Cf. Collon, D., Catalogue of the Western Asiatic Seals in the British Museum. Cylinder Seals V. Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian Periods, London, 2001, no.321, for another cylinder seal of this period with the very rare contest scene with stag.
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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LOT 0204
Neo-Babylonian Banded Agate Cylinder Seal with Bull-Man Contest Scene
Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
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Bactrian Copper Stamp Seal with Ibex
Late 3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Ibex-shaped seal with segmented body and long horns, facing right, standing on all four legs; mounted in a modern wooden frame with fabric backing. 220 grams total, 17.8 cm including frame
Ex London, UK, gallery, 1971-early 2000s. Property of a London gentleman.
The object belongs to a large class of compartmented seals, characteristic of this area. These stamps were frequently produced in either copper or bronze and would feature distinctive figural or geometric patterns such as floral and cross motifs, or animals such as goats, snakes, scorpions and mythical beasts. The wild goat or markhor or ibex Shumashti Siru, was a tribal animal subject to representation on the most ancient Bactrian seals. -
Neo Assyrian Pazuzu Head with Lamashtu
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
Modelled in the half-round with grotesque features and fierce teeth exposed; reverse with low-relief engraved image of Lamashtu advancing holding a trident. 26 grams, 36 mm
From an important collection formed before 1988, London and Geneva. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12253-221916. -
Syro-Hittite Silver Standing Stag
12th-8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13,000
Modelled in the round standing with head raised, recurved horns or antlers, slender muzzle with mouth detailing, incised ring-and-dot motif to shoulders and hips; mounted on a custom-made stand. 69.2 grams total, 80 mm high including stand
London art market, 1978. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12263-220844.
Stylistically, the item shares features with the Hattian stag figurine found in the royal tombs in Alacahöyük (now in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Turkey) and dating from the period 2100-2000 B.C. The use of ring-and-dot embellishments to the flanks is suggestive of some cultural continuity. The animal depicted is probably an ibex rather than a European stag. However, a date of manufacture in the period after the fall of the Hittite Empire in the 12th century B.C. seems more probable.
