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LOT 0898
Western Asiatic Alabaster Vessel
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
4 3/4 in. (269 grams, 12 cm).
Featuring a carinated profile and flange rim.
ProvenanceAcquired on the European art market in the 1990s.
Ex property of a Suffolk collector.
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AUCTIONS:
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Sumerian Clay Cuneiform Tablet with Administrative Sargonic Text
Mid 3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
To two faces of the lentoid-section tablet. 29.3 grams, 39 mm
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. The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples. -
Amlash Decorated Bronze Ring
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
The discoid bezel displaying a stylised flower head in relief, supported by a quadripartite hoop. 11.13 grams, 25.27 mm overall, 19.71 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q 1/2, USA 8 1/4, Europe 18.12, Japan 17)
Ex private collection, 1980s. Acquired on the UK art market in the 1990s. -
Tel Brak Type Alabaster Eye Idol
Circa 3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Anthropomorphic eye idol, possibly of figurative female form, carved with a bell-shaped body, two 'breasts', remains of openwork 'eyes' above. 33.5 grams, 43 mm
Acquired 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'.