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LOT 1261
West Central Asian Bronze Chess Piece Type Seal Matrix with 'Union' Cross
CIRCA 2000-1500 B.C.
7/8 in. (14.2 grams, 22 mm).
Discoid stamp seal with segmented face; accompanied by an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Stamp Seal of Bronze, 19.5 x 19 x 22 mm. The round flat face is compartmented, and the solid back rises to a pierced knob handle. The design divided the circle into four parts with two crossing lines, and within each quarter there is a short line starting from the rim but not reaching the centre. This is a seal from west the Bronze Age of west central Asia, probably dates to c. 2000-1500 B.C. There is some incrustation on the surface, which could be removed, and the metal is in very good condition.' [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
Ex property of a West London businessman.
Academically researched and catalogued by the late Professor Lambert in the early 1990s.
Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly report, numbered B-34, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1261
West Central Asian Bronze Chess Piece Type Seal Matrix with 'Union' Cross
Estimate £60 - 80€70 - 93 (for guidance only)$81 - 108 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5 (EUR 6; USD 7) +BP*
-
Western Asiatic Pottery Vessel with Handle
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Bulbous body with flat base and a tall funicular neck, single handle to the rear. 614 grams, 21 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s. -
Western Asiatic Lapis Lazuli Head of a Bull
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Carved in the round with indented nostrils and mouth, domed eyes, horns spread above the ears; mounted on a custom-made stand. 170 grams total, bull: 34 mm, 89 mm high including stand
Acquired on the American (?) art market. Private collection, London, UK. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Statuette of a Kneeling Priest
Late 3rd millennium B.C.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £3,600
Modelled as a kneeling priest wearing a knee-length kilt, the long hair combed back from the face and extending down the back, arms bent, and fists clenched, resting on the belt, recessed to the underside. 359 grams, 83 mm
Ex London family collection, since the 1970s. Accompanied by a report of metallurgical analytical results, written by Metallurgist Dr Brian Gilmour of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13313-258236.
This powerful figure was probably lost-wax cast in arsenical copper, as were many Near Eastern bronzes of the 3rd millennium. He is muscular with broad shoulders, a strong chest and a well-toned, rippling abdomen. The pleated long garment is typical of the Mesopotamian men. Very interesting is his praying gesture, which is typical of the statuette of Ur culture.
