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LOT 0183
Sumerian Lipit-Ishtar King of Isin Cuneiform Foundation Cone
1936-1926 B.C.
4 1/2 in. (158 grams, 11.3 cm).
From the House of Justice at Isin; inscribed with columns of cuneiform text:
I, (the divine) Lipit-Eštar, humble shepherd of (the city of) Nippur, faithful farmer of (the city of) Ur, tireless worker for (the city of) Eridu, perfect Lord for (the city of) Uruk, King of (the city of) Isin, King of Sumer and Akkad, who pleases (the goddess) Innana, on the day I established justice in Sumer and Akkad, I built the temple of justice at the Reservoir, the great space of the gods; and bearing inked collection number: 'BEC.2 00015024' to base. [No Reserve]
Previously from the estate of a West Sussex, UK, collector.
From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK.
From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12314-215541.
Votive cones are one type of royal foundation deposit, objects that were buried in the walls and beneath the floors of important buildings during construction to sanctify the site and to create a historical memory of the ruler and his achievements.
Lipit-Ishtar was the fifth king of the Dynasty of Isin, which was founded after the collapse of the Third Dynasty of Ur. He is famous as having published a series of laws in the Sumerian language anticipating the code of Hammurabi by more than a century.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0183
Sumerian Lipit-Ishtar King of Isin Cuneiform Foundation Cone
Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
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Western Asiatic Rock Crystal Melon Bead Group
17th-19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £14
Group of six crystal melon beads. 7.05 grams total, 9-10 mm
From an old English deceased estate. Acquired on the London art market in the early 1990s. Property of a London, UK, collector. -
Old Babylonian Cylinder Seal of Ili-iddinam, Servant of the Goddess Nin-si'anna
Circa 1900-1600 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,105
With three standing figures; accompanied by 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 Black Stone with White Streaks / 31 x 17 mm. / The design consists of three standing figures: a god in short clothes on the right, a worshipper in long robe raising one hand in the middle, and a nude female shown frontally on the left. A spade symbol appears in front of the god on the right. A two line cuneiform inscription names the ancient seal-owner: Ili-iddinam, servant of (the goddess) Nin-si'anna / Nin-si'anna is a name of Ishter-Venus. This is an Old Babylonian seal, c. 1900-1600 B.C. It has a rare stone for the period, but is not deeply cut. The seal is in very good state of preservation.' 17 grams, 31 mm
Academically researched and catalogued by the late Professor Lambert in the early 1990s. From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK. From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent. Accompanied by an original typed and signed scholarly note by the late W.G. Lambert, Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993. -
Large Sumerian Stone Cylinder Seal
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,150
With frieze in two registers; above: ibexes with raised heads drinking water from a rounded vessel mounted on a raised frame; below: repeating pattern of vessels with water flowing from their mouths; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 56 grams, 34 mm
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1970-1990s, thence by descent. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
