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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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Western Asiatic Painted Terracotta Jar
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With rounded profile, low foot and rounded everted rim to the mouth, painted horizontal bands to the shoulder enclosing a frieze of zebus. 819 grams, 18 cm
Acquired 1990s-2000s. From the late David Gold (d.2015) collection of pottery.
David Gold and his brother were famous for setting up the first clothes shop in Carnaby Street and dressed the famous in the swinging 1960s, making Carnaby Street famous. -
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Western Asiatic Gold Bead Group
7th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Mixed group beads of melon, oblate, and other types. 9.90 grams, 7-13 mm
Collected from 1969-1999. From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK. -
Early Dynastic Terracotta Cuneiform Administrative Tablet Recording Livestock and their Owners
IIIb, 2400-2340 B.C.Estimate: £18,000 - 24,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £10,000
Pillow-shaped tablet with dense cuneiform text to two broad faces and one edge, concerning the listing of 146 sheep and their owners or shepherds. 202 grams, 78 mm
with Laemmle Gallery, San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, USA. Acquired from the above in the early 1970s. with Bonhams, London, 13 April 2011, no.133. Private central European collection. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Bonhams catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12121-218147.
