Sasanian Flecked Orange Stone Stamp Seal with Ibex

Pillow-shaped with columnar ribbing to the broad faces, dense cuneiform text in the columns. 57.2 grams, 63 mm



Private collection of Mr K., Maryland, USA. Private collection, Switzerland, acquired in 2000. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12893-241757.

The 2nd millennium B.C. (about 2000–1000 B.C.) was an important period in the ancient Near East, when major civilisations such as the Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, and Egyptians grew in power and influence. It was a time of progress in trade, government, law, and writing, helping us understand how people lived and worked. Cuneiform tablets, which are small clay tablets written in one of the earliest writing systems, were widely used to record business, legal matters, letters, and stories. When these tablets are found outside their place of origin, it can show connections through trade, travel, or official communication, offering insight into both the ancient world and how such objects later moved through collections.

Plano-convex type with narrow transverse hole; possibly later incuse zebu standing with possibly later inscription above. 13.6 grams, 24 mm



Private collection, 1970s. Acquired Chiswick Auctions, 2 February, 2016, no.109. Private collection, London, UK.

A fragmentary section of a large pillow-shaped tablet with impressed cuneiform text on two sides. 150 grams, 87 mm



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.