Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0252
Syrian Stone Cylinder Seal with Storm God and Fertility Goddess
CIRCA 1800-1700 B.C.
3/4 in. (6.58 grams, 21 mm).
With standing figures and animals, 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 Hematite, 21.5 x 11 mm. The design is made up of two parts. The main scene shows two facing deities. On the left stand the Storm God, Hadad or Teshup, wearing a short kilt and a spiked helmet. A long plait of hair falls down his back. In his raised right hand he holds a mace, in the left a long spear and a bow(?). On the right stands a goddess, nude, having thrown back her cloke, and standing above a bull. This goddess is either Anat or Ashtart, goddess or fertility. There are four fillers in the main scene, two discs, a human hand and an unidentified item. The minor scene consists of a row of three walking humans, the first with one hand raised, below two facing birds. The whole engraing is set between lines, one above one below. This seal in Syrian, c. 1800-1700 B.C. and is a typical example of the interest which the Syrian engravers put into their seals. It is somewhat worn, but the whole of the design is clear, having been cut deeply in the original stone.'; accompanied by a museum quality impression and pair of red stone beads.
Provenance
Anonymous French sale.
Private collection, London, UK.
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.
VETTING:
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0252
Syrian Stone Cylinder Seal with Storm God and Fertility Goddess
Sold for (Inc. bp): £715
RELATED LOTS
-
Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Including tanged, barbed leaf-shaped and other types. 153 grams total, 43-89 mm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
.jpg)
Large Amlash Terracotta Idol
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
Comprising a thin, extended neck developing into a largely unmarked face, represented only as a low-relief oval across its width; small arms folded into the chest emerging just beside two raised breasts; body curving inwards to suggest a feminine waist, before widening dramatically at the hips and buttocks; legs tapering gradually towards the base, with small marks delineating toes; mounted on a custom-made stand. 386 grams total, 23 cm including stand
Dr Werner Alder, Carona, Switzerland, acquired in the 1960s. Private collection M.R., Lugano, Switzerland. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no.N126a11 from Oxford Authentication. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13015-246792.
The Amlash ceramics of Iron-Age Iran are named after a small modern town in the northern province of Gilan, just south of the Caspian Sea. Although the town is in close vicinity to Mesopotamia, the objects found there have a distinct local style, perhaps due to the natural boundaries of the Elburz and Zagros mountain ranges. The ceramic vessels and statuettes of both humans and animals from this region are by far the most important source we have on the Amlash culture of this period. Much of what has survived seems to have held spiritual or ritual functions, for example, votive idols and libation vessels. Human representations are generally found in burial sites and may therefore represent deities or specific individuals. These terracotta figurines, distinguished by their exaggerated, rounded hips and thighs, are believed to date from the late 2nd to early 1st millennium B.C. and are widely interpreted as fertility symbols or representations of a mother goddess. -
Bactrian Bronze Stamp Seal with Bull
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Formed as a standing horned quadruple facing right, with segmented face; loop handle to the reverse. 22 grams, 42 mm wide
From a European private collection, acquired before 1993. Private collection, Europe.
