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LOT 1352
Syro-Hittite Lead Fertility Idol
2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
2 3/4 in. (30 grams, 70 mm).
A plaque depicting a stylised man and woman conjoined at hips, flanking a small child holding their legs, the woman with large head and long hair, holding her breasts, the man wearing a loin cloth and conical headdress, holding the woman by the arm. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx property of a Dutch gentleman; formerly in an old Dutch collection formed in the 1970s.
From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.
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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Parthian Bronze Vessel
2nd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Hemispherical in form with broad mouth. 110 grams, 15.5 cm wide
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990-2000. 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. -
Syro-Hittite Terracotta Fertility Figure
1500-900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Standing female deity (Astarte?), wearing a long robe and a broad textured necklace; arms bent and hands placed on the chest; beaked facial features with applied eyes. 78 grams, 14 cm
From the private collection of a Canadian gentleman living in Essex, UK, formed since the 1920s-circa 1990. Property of an Essex lady until the late 1990s; thence by descent. From the private collection of an Essex gentleman since the late 1990s. 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. -
Achaemenid Heavy Gold Earring Pair
Circa 6th-4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
A matched pair of large earrings decorated with pomegranates on the outer edge, the crescentic body divided in transversal grooves representing the abdomen of a bee, with granulation on the inner and outer edge, a horizontal gold wire with circlets to the centre. 23.78 grams total, 38 mm each
From a private family collection formed since the early 19th century, thence by descent. Property of a New Zealand legal professional. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12326-223715. 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.
Fruit were generally considered to be a symbol of sensuality, temptation and fertility; the giving and accepting of fruit may be regarded as a symbolic sexual act, or at least a prelude to marriage. It follows naturally that the pomegranate, with its innumerable fleshy seeds symbolising life and fecundity, was an attribute of Aphrodite.