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LOT 1405
Sasanian Clay Bulla From a Sealed Document with Hand Impression
3RD-7TH CENTURY A.D.
1 1/2 in. (19.67 grams, 38 mm).
Plano-convex terracotta disc with seal-impression of Pahlavi / Middle Persian insription, around blessing hand with three fingers raised and the index finger and thumb touching. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the stock of a former UK antiquarian, acquired at trade fairs and from private collection formed in the 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Europe.
This clay bulls was attached to a document or a contract with the help of a string.
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 1405
Sasanian Clay Bulla From a Sealed Document with Hand Impression
Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
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Mesopotamian Silver Stamp Seal with Janiform Head of the God Pazuzu
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
Columnar in form with discoid base supporting a pair of stylised head with almond-shaped eyes, button nose, prominent elongated chin and triangular lobes; suspension loop to the top. 25.80 grams, 36 mm
Ex Mayfair, London, UK, collection, 1979-1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13072-249423.
Pazuzu was an Assyrian and Babylonian demonic god who was represented with a canine head, scaly body, a snake-headed penis, the talons of a bird, and usually four wings. He is often regarded as an evil underworld demon, but he seems also to have played a beneficent role as a protector against pestilential winds; a bronze figure of Pazuzu in the Louvre, (accession number MNB 467) is inscribed, ‘I am Pazuzu, son of Hanpa, king of the evil spirits of the air which issues violently from mountains, causing much havoc.’ His close association with Lamashtu, a fierce demon goddess responsible for child mortality, resulted in him being used to counter her powers and send her back to the underworld. Amulets of Pazuzu were positioned in dwellings to act as protective barriers to evil powers, or were often in the form of just a head, as in this example, and were hung around the necks of pregnant women. Pazuzu is popularly known today as the demon from the 1973 film ‘The Exorcist’. -
Western Asiatic Limestone Jar
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £167
Indurate limestone vessel with squat profile, broad flat base, carinated shoulder and broad rounded rim. 405 grams, 88 mm wide
From a London, UK, gentleman's collection of ancient pottery and artefacts, 1990s. -
Cypro-Phoenician Bronze Cup
6th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Bell-shaped in profile with carination above the foot. 144 grams, 11.2 cm
Ex property of a London, UK, gentleman, Mayfair gallery, 1990s.
