Loading, please wait...
LOT 0192
South Arabian Alabaster Head of a Man
3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
7 3/8 in. (2.12 kg total, 18.7 cm including stand).
Small mouth raised sharply in the middle, large nose with angular depressions for the nostrils, deep eye sockets to accept inlay, upper and lower eyelids with rounded ridges, eyebrows tapering towards the outer end; chiselled ears, top of the head cut off flat at the hair line, back of the head left roughly tooled with central vertical insertion pin; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceUK collection, 1990s.
Acquired on the UK art market, before 2000.
Private collection, Mr M.V., a London-based businessman.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Cleveland, R.L., An Ancient South Arabian Necropolis, objects from the second campaign (1951) in the Timna Cemetery, Baltimore, 1951, pl.15, for similar head.
FootnotesUsually the heads of this typology are exhibited frontally and in symmetrical manner. Many of the heads have rather angular features. Nearly all the objects in this category were ornamented with inlay- the eyes and the eyebrows, in many cases. The sockets designed to receive the inlaid eyes are usually shaped in a rather naturalistic way.
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.
-
Neo Sumerian Stone Cylinder Seal for a Royal Soldier, Son of Bagi
Circa 2200-2100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
With frieze depicting two figures in floor-length robes addressing a seated figure in flounced robe; panel with three columns of cuneiform text, reading 'Kudum(?), royal soldier, son of Bagi, officer'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 6.03 grams, 25 mm
From the collection of the late S, London, UK, 1970-2000. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the 1990s. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Graeco-Persian Bronze Bowl
2nd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
With broad base and shallow bowl. 223 grams, 17.5 cm wide
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990-2000. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Western Asiatic Rock Crystal Gemstone
9th-10th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
Plano-convex cabochon with engraved Kufic legend to the domed face; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 1.08 grams, 14 mm
Acquired in 1994. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
