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LOT 0962
Tel Brak Type Alabaster Eye Idol
CIRCA 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
1 5/8 in. (33.5 grams, 43 mm).
Anthropomorphic eye idol, possibly of figurative female form, carved with a bell-shaped body, two 'breasts', remains of openwork 'eyes' above.
ProvenanceAcquired 1969-1999.
London collection of the late Mr S.M., thence by descent.
A classic artefact type from ancient Mesopotamia. Likely hand-carved using drills and string cutting. Eye idols were so named in the 1930s by the British archaeologist Max Mallowan. Whilst excavating a mound called Tel Brak, he discovered hundreds of anthropomorphic items of similar form, thus naming the mound 'Temple of the Eyes'.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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Sassanian Glass Rhyton-Style Vessel
Circa 3rd-5th century A.D.Estimate: £450 - 650 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £243
The tapering sidewalls and foot formed as a stylised shoe or boot; iridescent surfaces. 86 grams, 11.2 cm high
French collection, 1960s-early 2000s. From an important Paris gallery, France. with Vermot & Associés, Paris, France, 16 November 2019, lot 44. -
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Western Asiatic Limestone Shekel Weight Collection
Iron Age III, 9th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
A number bearing incised inscriptions; the set graduated in size, each weight with a domed profile; one with two old collection stickers to base. 96 grams total, 15-34 mm
Property of a North London gentleman.
Judean scale weights were primarily used to weigh amounts of silver, often in the form of hack silver. Modern scholarship has deduced that Judean weights were base on a standard of 11.4 grams to the shekel. -
Sumerian Amuletic Composition Calf Figurine
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £293
Modelled with the legs folded and bound beneath the body, head turned along the flank, slot to the underside. 9.46 grams, 30 mm
Fine condition.
Acquired 1969-1999. London collection of the late Mr S.M., thence by descent.
