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LOT 0944
Terracotta Magical Bowl Bearing an Incantation Against Evil Spirits
4TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/8 in. (260 grams, 15.5 cm wide).
Of rounded, conical form and bearing a spiralling pseudo-Aramaic incantation to the bowl interior.
ProvenanceFrom a collection of pottery formed in the 1970-1980s.
LiteratureCf. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, accession number: 80.001.0001.
FootnotesAramaic incantation bowls are particular to the Sassanian period and have been found in the regions of modern Iraq. These simple ceramic bowls, also known as magic bowls, each contain an Aramaic inscription, written in ink, which spirals from the centre. The bowls seem to have played an important part in domestic life. For example, during excavation in Nippur in 1889, one or more incantation bowls were found in each house together with domestic artefacts, most often in doorways or under floorboards in the corner of rooms. The bowls are predominantly apotropaic, and the inscriptions tend to protect their owners from misfortunes such as child-birth, illness and evil spirits.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0944
Terracotta Magical Bowl Bearing an Incantation Against Evil Spirits
Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
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Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. Thence by descent to family members. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This small collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples. -
Western Asiatic Astronomical Manuscript Page Group
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Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.
