Loading, please wait...
LOT 0239
South Arabian Alabaster Head of a Woman
6TH-4TH CENTURY B.C.
12 3/8 in. (3.66 kg total, 31.4 cm including stand).
Large female head with angular nose with straight ridge, rounded cheeks and chin, large sockets for inlaid eyes with rounded depressions in the centre of the eyes, grooved eyebrows and outlines of the eyes, the tapering neck long and cylindrical, the back left roughly tooled; 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.
Cf. Cleveland R.L., An Ancient South Arabian Necropolis, objects from the second campaign (1951) in the Timna Cemetery, Baltimore, pl.6 no.TC 914, for similar.
FootnotesThis finely carved calcite-alabaster head was originally set within a stela and inscribed with the name of the deceased. Six hundred of these funerary stelae were discovered in localities like Mārib, and other examples were later found during the excavations of the Awwam temple cemetery.
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 Cuneiform Tablet Fragment
3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
Bifacial, triangular in plan with one rounded edge; impressed grid and cuneiform texts to both broad faces and one edge; likely one corner of a pillow-shaped tablet. 35 grams, 48 mm
London, UK, art market, 1980s. From the collection of G.M.R.H., London, UK. -
Western Asiatic Inscribed Stone Tablet
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £75
Rectangular in plan with pointillé cuneiform text to both broad faces. 9.8 grams, 27 mm
From the 'S' collection, acquired 1970-1990s. The collection was seen and studied by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993. 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. -
Achaemenid Blue Glass Bead Necklace String
6th-4th century B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £104
Restrung designer necklace string of fusiform, oblate and other types with annular pendant centrepiece. 7 grams, 38 cm
London, UK, collection, 2000s.