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LOT 1417
Syro-Hittite Terracotta Horse and Rider Figure
EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
5 1/2 in. (354 grams total, 14.2 cm high including stand).
Modelled in the round standing facing, the animal's ears pricked, simple recessed eyes, tail hanging between hindlegs, the rider riding bare-back, gripping the horse's mane at the base of the neck, his legs gripping its sides, wearing a textured garment hanging from the left shoulder, pinched face featuring large circular eyes and strong furrowed brow; one arm absent; repaired; mounted on a custom-made display base.
ProvenanceCollection of a deceased London gentleman, 1979-1999, by descent.
From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.
Accompanied by a copy of thermoluminescence analysis report no.N122k30 from Oxford Authentication.
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AUCTIONS:
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Achaemenid Bronze Cup
6th-4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £187
With squat profile, flared rim above a deep carination. 183 grams, 13.7 cm
Ex property of a London, UK, gentleman, Mayfair gallery, 1990s. -
Uzbek Double-Sided Tunic
20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Reversible sleeved tunic with one side in dark blue with embroidered borders, the other in printed floral cotton. 740 grams, 107 cm
Private collection, UK. -
Mesopotamian Silver Stamp Seal with Janiform Head of the God Pazuzu
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
Columnar in form with discoid base supporting a pair of stylised head with almond-shaped eyes, button nose, prominent elongated chin and triangular lobes; suspension loop to the top. 25.80 grams, 36 mm
Ex Mayfair, London, UK, collection, 1979-1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13072-249423.
Pazuzu was an Assyrian and Babylonian demonic god who was represented with a canine head, scaly body, a snake-headed penis, the talons of a bird, and usually four wings. He is often regarded as an evil underworld demon, but he seems also to have played a beneficent role as a protector against pestilential winds; a bronze figure of Pazuzu in the Louvre, (accession number MNB 467) is inscribed, ‘I am Pazuzu, son of Hanpa, king of the evil spirits of the air which issues violently from mountains, causing much havoc.’ His close association with Lamashtu, a fierce demon goddess responsible for child mortality, resulted in him being used to counter her powers and send her back to the underworld. Amulets of Pazuzu were positioned in dwellings to act as protective barriers to evil powers, or were often in the form of just a head, as in this example, and were hung around the necks of pregnant women. Pazuzu is popularly known today as the demon from the 1973 film ‘The Exorcist’.
