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LOT 0242
South Arabian Alabaster Head of a Woman
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
8 7/8 in. (3.49 kg total, 22.5 cm high including stand).
Carved in the half-round, the eyes with drilled pupils to accept inserts; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of Dr Mohammed Saïd Farsi (1936-2019), acquired between 1960-1990 at Christie's, Sotheby's and Mayfair galleries.
LiteratureSee Simpson, S.T., Queen of Sheba: Treasures From Ancient Yemen, The British Museum Press, London, 2002, items 126, 270, and 282, for similar portraits.
FootnotesThe eyes of these beautiful statues were inlaid with blue glass or lapis lazuli. These portraits could have been inserted in a funerary stele, but most probably this portrait comes from a statue similar to the 'Myriam of Tamna', as can be understood from the flat back, to which braided hair in plaster was probably attached.
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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Proto-Sumerian Seal with Animals
Circa 3000 B.C. or laterEstimate: £800 - 1,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £444
Plano-convex stamp seal with design of two crouching quadrupeds placed tête-bêche; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 37.4 grams, 40 mm
Acquired in Europe in 2002. European private collection.
The motifs have been created using a drill, hence the rounded appearance. -
Western Asiatic Mixed Gold Bead Group
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Including spherical, tubular, biconvex and other types, some with granule detailing. 8.32 grams total, 1-14 mm
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970s-2000s. -
Luristan Bronze Peacock Pendant
13th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Modelled in the round with hollow to the underside, long neck with collar and loop to the rear. 25.5 grams, 59 mm
From a North Yorkshire, UK, private collection. Acquired from Adam Partridge Auctioneers, Macclesfield, UK. Property of Mr A.B., an American collector.
