Sumerian Faience Face Mount

Cylinder with cord and bead handles; accompanied by 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: 'Description of Cylinder Seal of black stone, 34.5 x 26 mm. The sides are decorated with a design consisting of two registers enclosed within lines, and each register divided into compartments, four in one, three in the other, by bands of four parallel lines. Each compartment contains the head of an animal or bird. The upper and lower surfaces of the cylinder are engraved with rosettes centering on the drill hole. This is an early Syrian seal, c. 3000 B.C., of a very unusual and interesting type. Though it is worn, the design still leaves a clear impression when the seal is rolled.'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 44.7 grams, 34 mm



UK private collection, acquired 1980-1983. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in November 1987. 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.

Double-edged blade widening at the tip and forming two points at the tip, short rectangular-section tang. 112 grams, 35 cm



Ex London art market, 1980-1990s. 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.

This blade was probably for a short sword or dagger, which was transformed into a working tool.

Accompanied by 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 Carnelian, 19 x 10 mm. The design, which is placed between upper and lower rulings consists of a group of three figures. In the centre is a deity, standing in a frontal pose, with strange head and body, the head with horns projecting each side, also a tail hanging down between the splayed legs. With each hand he is holding off a composite animal. The one on the right has a quadruped's body with wings and a bird's head. There is a 'bib' between the front legs as the creature sits on its haunches. The creature on the left is meant to be the same, but is slightly different in details due to less space being available. This is a seal from Syria, c. 800-600 B.C., and is an unusual type. It is based on the common Assyro-Babylonian type of a standing god between two animals, but the god in this case is a variant of the Egyptian Bes and the animals are forms of creatures belonging to East Mediterranean art, not to Assyro-Babylonian art. Save for chipping of the edges the seal is in good condition.'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 3.63 grams, 20 mm



Ex N. Colville collection. Acquired Christie's, London, 6 July 1994, lot 159. From the private collection of a North American lady, formed 1970s-early 1990s, with collection reference no.344. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert dated August 1994. 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.