Loading, please wait...
LOT 1456
Sasanian Chalcedony Stamp Seal with Two Figures
CIRCA 3RD-7TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (3.49 grams, 17.67 mm).
With a segmented upper face, the underside with incuse image of two figures holding an object in their conjoined hands. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
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.
-
Western Asiatic Painted Bird Vessel
8th-9th century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Hollow-formed piriform body with three columnar legs, strap handle with applied detailing and applied collar, tapering neck and strigine head with applied loops to the eyes. 442 grams, 17 cm high
UK collection, 1990s. Acquired on the UK art market, before 2000. Private collection, Mr M.V., a London-based businessman. -
Large Proto-Sumerian Terracotta Cuneiform Tablet
4th-3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,200
Pillow-shaped with incised grid to the broad faces, dense cuneiform text in the columns with impressed pellet numerals. 236 grams, 89 mm
Private collection, acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s; thence by descent. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13179-249318.
Various collections of cuneiform tablets form a corpus of texts mainly of an administrative nature, from the Uruk III and Ur III periods. The proto-cuneiform, as a system of proto-writing, emerged in Mesopotamia ca.3500-3200 BC, during the Uruk period. -
Sumerian Green Stone Eye Idol
3rd millennium B.C.Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
Carved in the round as a rectangular block with a slit to the upper edge, vertical spike with two annulet 'eyes'; pierced for suspension. 13.2 grams, 41 mm
with M. Petropoulos, Zurich, early 1990s. with Rhéa gallery. Private collection, acquired in 1999. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12897-241753.
Idols were an important part of religious life in South Arabia and across the ancient Near East. They were made as images of gods, spirits, or protective powers, and helped people feel a closer connection to the divine. These figures might be placed in temples, shrines, or even in the home, where they could have a protective or devotional role. Their shapes were often simple and stylised, with more importance placed on their meaning than on making them look fully realistic.
