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LOT 0285
Western Asiatic Basalt Tablet with Cuneiform Inscription
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
12 3/4 in. (7.85 kg, 32.6 cm).
Architectural fragment with rectangular band to one edge, carved decorative detailing with inscription.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Europe, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1980s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12521-231989.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
See similar inscriptions in basalt in Lauinger, J., Batiuk S., ‘A stele of Sargon II at Tell Tayinat’ in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie, 2015; 105(1), pp.54-68.
FootnotesAmid the many architectural, sculptural, and textual riches of Assyria and Mesopotamia, the broken pieces of basalt bearing fragmentary cuneiform inscriptions have received little attention, but are of fundamental importance. Despite being quite fragmentary, these broken pieces of basalt are the remains of an important witness to the Assyrian imperial presence in the Near East.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0285
Western Asiatic Basalt Tablet with Cuneiform Inscription
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Large Sumerian Terracotta Bulla Envelope with Impressed Decoration
Uruk Period, 5500-3100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £702
Spherical and hollow-formed with moulded animal and other ornament to the outer face; clay tokens inside. 243 grams, 72 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1988. 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. Accompanied by a copy of a previous two page illustrated cataloguing note, collection no.23. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Animal Figure
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Modelled in the round with one foreleg raised. 26.8 grams, 52 mm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Western Asiatic Terracotta Jug with Zoomorphic Appliqué
Middle Bronze Age, circa 2000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Piriform in profile with discoid foot, deep shoulder, tall neck with rolled and everted rim; applied aviform figure to the shoulders with splayed wings encircling the base of the neck; possibly Cypriot workmanship. 447 grams, 17.1 cm high
Ex Constable collection, UK, 1990s. Accompanied by an old photograph with description verso. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
