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LOT 0241
South Arabian Alabaster Plaque with Bull's Head
3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
7 7/8 in. (2.09 kg total, 19.8 cm including stand).
Comprising a square panel with a bull's head in low-relief, striated eyes and flaring nostrils, a thick tuft of hair arranged between the eyes, shallow acanthus leaf between curved horns, inscription on the rectangular space at the bottom of the panel; 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, 1951, pp.36ff, and pl.61ss, for similar examples (esp.61).
FootnotesThe presence of these representations in South Arabian cemeteries attests to the importance of the bull in the religious iconography of pre-Islamic Arabia.
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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Western Asiatic Bronze Pendant with Four-Line Inscription
Circa 14th-16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Rectangular pendant with integral suspension loop, the obverse with a four line inscription. 3.67 grams, 24 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Akkadian Green Jasper Cylinder Seal with Seated Figures
Circa 2300-2200 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £749
Showing a divine drinking scene; accompanied by a museum quality impression and a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Cylinder Seal of Green Jasper, 23 x 13 mm. Two seated figures face each other. On the right is a male, wearing a flat cap on his head, and a long robe to the feet with a deep fringe at the bottom. He is holding up a flat cup. The figure on the left is female, bare-headed, but wearing a similar long garment with fringe at the bottom, alos a fringe where the fabric overlaps from the waist down. Both figures hold up the same type of cup. Between them stands a servant, in a similar long robe and with bare head, holding a mace at the waist. In the sky there is a star and lunar crescent. A tall slender tree serves as a terminal. This is a Akkadian seal, c. 2300-2200 B.C., from Mesopotamia or a neighbouring region. In view of the flat cap on the male the figures are no doubt divine, and this is then a divine drinking scene. This seal is in excellent state of preservation.' 6.31 grams, 23 mm
From the private collection of a North American lady, formed 1970s-early 1990s, with collection reference no.P18. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in August 1992 and an old photograph. -
Western Asiatic Terracotta Vessel with Bird Head
8th-9th century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
Aviform body with loop handle and applied collars and detailing to the neck and head; painted spiral tendril design. 612 grams, 18 cm
UK collection, 1990s. Acquired on the UK art market, before 2000. Private collection, Mr M.V., a London-based businessman.
