Loading, please wait...
LOT 1346
Parthian Stone Seal with Bearded Bust
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D. OR LATER
7/8 in. (4.52 grams, 21 mm).
Carved from opaque stone, upper face with a bearded profile bust wearing a headdress, occluded piercing. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
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:
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.
-
Achaemenid Gold Appliques Depicting Winged Lions
5th-4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Comprising seven circular mounts, each with a repoussé winged lion, depicted in a seated pose with its head turned, pierced thrice through the outer rim. 1.92 grams total, 15 mm each
Private English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Private collection, UK.
Gold held immense significance in the Achaemenid Empire, not only as a symbol of wealth and divine favour but also as a practical medium for art, currency, and royal regalia. It was used in architectural decoration, lavish court objects, jewellery, and ceremonial ware, often reflecting the empire’s vast wealth and cosmopolitan reach. Among the prominent motifs in Achaemenid art is the lion-griffin—a mythical creature combining the body of a lion with the wings of an eagle. This powerful image, frequently seen in gold appliqués, seals, and metalwork, conveyed themes of imperial power, protection, and control over both terrestrial and celestial realms. The lion-griffin stood as an emblem of dominance and guardianship, befitting the grandeur of Persia’s imperial ideology. -
Mesopotamian Stone Jar
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Comprising a bulbous body with circumferential bands, undercut at the neck with everted rectangular-section rim to the mouth, disc base with rectangular socket. 616 grams, 11.3 cm wide
Ex Mayfair, London, UK, gallery, 2000s. -
.jpg)
Bactrian Gold Coiled Wire Necklace with Pendant
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
Tightly-coiled wire band with graduated profile, domed disc closure with repoussé central boss and pellets to the rim, pendant formed as a rectangular frame enclosing two fusiform banded agate and another fusiform bead, barrel-shaped gold collars and coiled wire finials. 37.20 grams, 66 cm
with Ancient and Islamic Art Ltd, 1993. Private European collection, early 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.12597-232360.
In Old Bactria there are a number of necklaces with compartmented chlorite rosettes containing settings in lapis lazuli, cornelian, and turquoise, which seem to indicate a tradition of purely local taste; together with these should be considered other examples in twisted gold lamina, like our example, with pendants in gold or in semi-precious stones such as rock crystal.
