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_900x900.jpg "South Arabian Carving of a Nude Couple in Erotic Embrace with Inscription")
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LOT 1622
South Arabian Carving of a Nude Couple in Erotic Embrace with Inscription
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
5 1/4 in. (380 grams total, 13.3 cm including stand).
Modelled in the round as two figures embracing, the upper figure with a pseudo inscription to the back; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceFormerly in the collection of Mr K.
Ex collection of Mr H., acquired in Switzerland in the early 2000s.
Private collection, Switzerland, acquired in 2010.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12875-241696.
Cf. Al-Mazroo, H.I., A stylistic and comparative study of unpublished pre-Islamic stone sculptures from Arabia,London, 1990, fig.11 and pl.19, for the style of bronze statuettes.
FootnotesThrough trade the religion of Pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula was subject to a certain measure of foreign influence, which is demonstrated by the discovery of some outstanding bronze statuettes of obvious mythical or religious character in various localities, for example at Qaryat al-Fau. The most important statuettes include a representation of Harpocrates, son of the Goddess Isis (goddess of fertility), Minerva (goddess of wisdom), and a statuette of a dolphin which is known to have been regarded in Graeco-Roman and Nabataean mythology as a symbol of protection.
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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LOT 1622
South Arabian Carving of a Nude Couple in Erotic Embrace with Inscription
Estimate £3,500 - 4,500€4,060 - 5,220 (for guidance only)$4,730 - 6,080 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,944 (EUR 2,256; USD 2,625) ‡+BP*
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Western Asiatic Painted Terracotta Vessel
9th-8th century B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Bulbous body with four stub legs, tall neck and internal strainer, tall scooped edge to the rim, loop handle to the rear; body and neck painted with geometric motifs, red paint on the base and legs. 1.16 kg, 32.3 cm
UK collection, 1990s. Acquired on the UK art market, before 2000. Private collection, Mr M.V., a London-based businessman.
Artefacts from Amlash date from the late second millennium B.C. through to the Partho-Sasanian period, with most dated to the 9th and 8th centuries B.C. Zoomorphic drinking or ritual vessels are abundant in Amlash pottery and usually feature depictions of animals common to that region. Such vessels have been recovered across Mesopotamia and Anatolia, and they were known as Bibru. They were produced as ceremonial drinking vessels, dedicated to specific deities, but they might also have served as drinking vessels for the social elite and royal family members. -
Assyrian Hardstone Relief with Head of a Bearded Man
704-681 B.C.Estimate: £7,000 - 9,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,500
Rectangular frieze fragment with low-relief carving of a profile bust with short straight hair confined by a brow-band, segmented curls forming the beard, furrowed brow, one arm extended; handwritten label to rear 'from the Koyunjik palace of Sennacherib at Nineveh and incised legend 'KOUYUNJIK' and 'A'; mounted on a custom-made stand. 530 grams total, 11.6 cm including stand
Allegedly found in the Koyunjik Palace of Sennacherib. Ex property of a gentleman, UK, acquired in the 1970s. Ex private collection, Oxfordshire, UK, 1988. Anonymous sale, Christie's, London, 7 December 1994, no.235. Art market, New York. Ex private collection, Tokyo, Japan. Private European collection, 2009. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.12880-241660.
The image can be compared with that of a fisherman from the time of Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.). On his head, there is a fillet which slightly broadens at the front. -
Western Asiatic Stone Amulet Group
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £40 - 60 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Including a tongue-shaped panel with hatched design and loop above, dome with basketwork design and other types. 3.45 grams total, 10-15 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
