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LOT 0245
Old Babylonian Haematite Cylinder Seal with Lamma Goddess
CIRCA 1700-1600 B.C.
1 in. (11.86 mm, 25 mm).
With four standing figures; accompanied by 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 Hematite, 25.5 x 13 mm. The design consists of two pairs of facing figures. In the one a deity on the right wears horned tiara and long robe open at the front, from which one leg projects with foot resting on a small quadruped with human head. The deity holds up a standard with seven globes at its top. Facing is a worshipper, in long plain robe with hands clasped. The other pair has a standing raising both hands --the Lamma goddess--and she faces the god with mace, in nat with brim, a kilt to the knees, and holding the mace at his waist. Between these two is a tall pole surmounted by lunar crescent and solar disc. This is a Late Old Babylonian seal, c.1700-1600 B.C., from Babylonia or south-west Iran. it is engraved with drill and cutting wheel, and is in good condition, though there is a little scratching of the surface.'; accompanied by a museum quality impression and a pair of red stone beads.
ProvenancePrivate collection, London, UK.
Accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
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LOT 0245
Old Babylonian Haematite Cylinder Seal with Lamma Goddess
Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
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Sumerian Alabaster Bowl
3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Conical with rounded rim and slightly rounded base. 1.09 kg, 16 cm wide
Ex private collection, Contessa L.J., since the 1980s. Private collection, Switzerland, 2001. -
Transjordan Holy Land Terracotta Jar with Ledge Handles
Early Bronze Age I, 3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Biconvex globular body with broad neck, flared rim, two ledge handles to the equator; hole to the base. 1.04 kg, 22.6 cm
Ex 1980s collection, London, UK. -
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Old Babylonian Haematite Cylinder Seal with God Amurru
1900-1700 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Showing three standing figures dressed in long robes, two columns of cuneiform inscription; accompanied by 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: 'Description of Cylinder Seal of hematite, 28 x 13 mm. The engraving consists of a scene of three figures (unfinished) and a finished inscription of two lines. The figures are (from right to left), a god with arm lowered and extended (probably meant to be the sun god, Shamash), a central figures probably also meant as a deity, and another deity with one hand raised. A shepherd's crook appears between the figure on the left and the one in the centre, and two symbols have been begun in the sky byt cannot be identified. The inscription reads: ᵈAN-mar-dú dumu an-na, Amurru son of Anum. Amurru was the god of shepherding worshipped by the Babylonians, and the presence of the shepherds' crook in the design could mean that one of the unidentified gods is Amurru, since the crook is the symbol of Amurru. The seal is very clearly of Old Babylonian date, c. 1900-1700 B.C. and comes from ancient Babylonia or one of the closely adjacent regions. It is a standard type, but is interesting in that, being half finished, it shows the way in which Old Babylonian seal cutters set about their work. Hematite is a harder stone than any regularly used before the Old Babylonian period, and the semi-mechanical method of cutting stone used by the ancients enable hard stone to be but more easily than with simple, hand-held tools. Thus the three figures have been begun with the drill and the cutting wheel. Later, had the seal been finished the craftsman would have completed the task with hand-held tools to give a life-like impression to the figures.'; accompanied by a museum quality impression and a of pair of red stone beads. 11.06 grams, 27 mm
1 1/8 in.
Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993.
