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LOT 0215
Sumerian Shell Cylinder Seal with Heroes
2600-2300 B.C.
1/4 - 1 in. (14.9 grams total, 8.1-27.78 mm).
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: 'Cylinder seal of fossil shell. 28 x 16 mm., condition good. Contest scene: standing hero succours reared up domestic animal on either side as they are attacked by lions, a second hero pulls the tail of the right-hand lion from behind; terminal scorpion below double line. This well known type of Sumerian seal occurs at the very end of the Early Dynastic periods, and on into the beginning of the Akkad dynasty. The scene involves divine heroes, and it was hoped that in actual life such figures would save domestic herds from attacks of lions.'; accompanied by a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceUK private collection, acquired 1980-1983.
Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in August 1990.
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.
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AUCTIONS:
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Achaemenid Bronze Cup
6th-4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Bulbous body and carinated shoulder extending to a cylindrical mouth. 80 grams, 77 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. 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. -
Western Asiatic Agate Bull's Head Pendant
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £250 - 350 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £125
Finely carved as a stylised bull's head with short horns and bulbous eyes, incised nostrils and mouth, perforated at the back of the neck for suspension. 28.9 grams, 40 mm
Ex property of the late Mr S.M., London, UK, 1969-1999, thence by descent. Accompanied by a previous typed cataloguing card. 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. -
Proto-Sumerian Pictographic Terracotta Tablet
Uruk III, circa 3200-3000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120
Lentoid in section with design to one face in three registers: left, large panel with impressed grid, square and spray; right, two smaller panels with hatching and geometric forms. 26.2 grams, 55 mm
From an important collection formed before 1988. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12543-231889. 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.
