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LOT 0246
Old Babylonian Terracotta Cuneiform Tablet of a Poem
EARLY 2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 1/4 in. (163 grams, 83 mm).
Pillow-shaped tablet with a Sumerian hymn to Sin-idinam, king of Larsa (1849-1843 BC), reading:
'5-6 (the gods) granted him to exercise, in a sublime manner, kingship and the priestly office.
7-8 They made him sit upon a seat whose foundation is firm, a radiant throne ...
9-10 Once he had firmly secured the crown and the sublime radiance upon his head.
11 Sin, the firstborn son of Enlil,
12 bestowed upon him a sublime name.
13 Utu, the great judge of the universe,
14 caused law and justice to be established for him].
15 The praise
16 The vast and shining wisdom ...'
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992.
Thence by descent to family members.
Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
This small collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well-preserved examples.
Accompanied by a translation by M. Guichard.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13269-253330.
Cf. similar tablets in Goetze, A., Old Babylonian omen texts,Yale, 1966, pls.1ff.
FootnotesOld Babylonian tablets were found in regular excavations from Khafaje and Kish, although, even today, the main body came from dealers. A definite date can be assigned to them only based on internal evidence. The scripts of the tablets vary a good deal: some tablets are written in archaic cursive, others in younger cursive, still others mix archaic and younger sign forms.
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LOT 0246
Old Babylonian Terracotta Cuneiform Tablet of a Poem
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Akkadian Bronze Bowl for King Manishtushu
2270–2255 B.C.Estimate: £40,000 - 60,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £20,000
Hemispherical in profile with a thin rim; inscribed rectangular panel with three fields, two each with a glyph and the right field with five cuneiform characters referencing King Manishtushu. 273 grams, 13.5 cm
Private collection, London, UK. Swiss private family collection. Believed to be from the same ownership as the bronze bowl sold at Sotheby’s, London, 21 April 1975, no.238. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.99066. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13197-249183.
Manishtushu (Akkadian: Man-iš-tušu), son of Sargon of Akkad and brother and successor of Rimush, reigned as king of the Akkadian Empire c. 2270-2255 BC (Middle Chronology). His reign is known primarily from royal inscriptions, administrative texts, and later king lists. Manishtushu consolidated imperial control following internal revolts suppressed under Rimush and pursued military campaigns in both southern Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf region, notably leading an expedition across the sea, probably to Magan (modern Oman), to secure supplies of diorite and metals for monumental construction. He is particularly associated with extensive land purchases in northern Babylonia, recorded on inscribed stone monuments, which provide rare insight into Akkadian legal and economic practices. These texts suggest a deliberate policy of royal acquisition and redistribution of land, possibly to strengthen central authority. Manishtushu also undertook significant building projects, including temple works at Nippur and elsewhere, dedicating offerings to major deities such as Enlil. His reign ended violently, and later tradition suggests he was assassinated in a palace conspiracy, after which he was succeeded by his son Naram-Sin, under whom the empire reached its greatest territorial extent. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
11th-10th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Comprising ten tanged arrowheads, most with barbed shoulders. 103 grams total, 58-88 mm
London, UK, collection, 1990s.
The majority of the arrowheads belong to type IV of the Khorasani classification. They look like a stylised flying bird, such as a swallow. -
Judaean Terracotta Slipper Oil Lamp
Circa 1st century B.C.-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Piriform body with raised rim around the filler hole and volute nozzle, linear decoration to the discus, low basal ring. 51.8 grams, 85 mm
From a collection of lamps from a late Scottish gentleman, 1970-1990s.
