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LOT 1147
Sumerian Ur-Nammu of Ur Cuneiform Foundation Cone
2112–2094 B.C.
1 7/8 in. (108 grams, 48 mm).
The top section of a foundation cone from the reign of Ur-Nammu, with domed face, the side inscribed with columns of cuneiform text; from the Ziggurat at Ur, in the Third Dynasty. [No Reserve]
ProvenancePreviously 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.
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.
Among Ur-Nammu‘s military exploits were the conquest of Lagash and the defeat of his former masters at Uruk. He was also responsible for ordering the construction of a number of ziggurats, including the Great Ziggurat of Ur. He was killed in a battle against the Gutians after he had been abandoned by his army.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1147
Sumerian Ur-Nammu of Ur Cuneiform Foundation Cone
Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
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Western Asiatic Lapis Lazuli and Stone Bead Necklace
1st millennium B.C. and laterEstimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
A restrung designer necklace composed of cylindrical white stone beads interspersed with oblate lapis lazuli beads and featuring seven unusual collared flattened beads in darker stone. 98 grams, 80 cm
Ex French gallery, 1970-1990. Paris collection, France. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Butting Bulls Statuette
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Formed as two opposed bovines on a single narrow rectangular base; placed head-to-head with prominent horns locked; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 57 grams total, 55 mm wide including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Mitannian Cylinder Seal with Hero Scene
Early 2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,420
Haematite with a robed figure with beard and cap facing a robed female(?) with hands raised, rosette between their faces and rings below; a tall winged figure grasping an ibex by the rear legs and a small human by one arm, above an advancing lion; a facing hero grasping the forelegs of a griffin with a kneeling figure between and winged solar disc above, chipped. 14.1 grams, 26 mm
From the Rihani family collection, formed 1970-1980s. 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.
