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LOT 0191
South Arabian Alabaster Sculpture of a Man with Inscription
3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.
10 5/8 in. (3.62 kg total, 27.1 cm including stand).
On a rectangular background, shallow sockets and grooved eyebrows, elongated nose and face, mouth faintly indicated by a straight incised line, large, protruding ears; traces of beard under the chin, vertical lines representing hair; name engraved in Arabian letters beneath the chin; 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. for the style of the head Cleveland R.L., An Ancient South Arabian Necropolis, objects from the second campaign (1951) in the Timna Cemetery, Baltimore, 1951, pls. 20,23. for similar examples; Simpson, S., Queen of Sheba. Treasures from Ancient Yemen, London, 2002, p.119, no.128.
FootnotesWithin South Arabia, there was a well-developed ancient tradition of carving funerary sculptures from a calcite-alabaster stone. The eyes and eyebrows of the heads were usually inlaid or (like probably here) highlighted with red or black pigment. The figure is inscribed on the base with the name of the dedicant, or with the personal name of the dead person.
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LOT 0191
South Arabian Alabaster Sculpture of a Man with Inscription
Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
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Amorite Terracotta Saddled Animal
1800-1600 B.C.Estimate: £600 - 800 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £333
Modelled in the round with halter to the chest, strap to the brow and saddle with two lateral containers and straps. 88 grams, 85 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. 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. -
Old Babylonian Hematite Cylinder Seal for Ahi-shagish, son of Sinia, Servant of Amurru
Circa 2000-1530 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £910
With three columns of cuneiform text: 'Ahi-shagish, son of Sinia, Servant of Amurru', standing figure of a god holding sceptre facing a worshipper accompanied by a goddess wearing long robe and horned crown; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 14.4 grams, 26 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. -
Luristan Bronze Dish
Circa 6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
With hemispherical body raised from a single sheet. 167 grams, 11.1 cm
Ex London, UK, collections, 1990s-2000s. 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.
The people of Luristan were nomads, constantly moving in summer and winter pastures, and needed metal utensils and tools. Therefore, in addition to weapons, these excellent metal workers produced, in considerable numbers, light and elegant bronze vases and cups. The Luristan vessels show how strongly specialised were the forms of these objects.
