Western Asiatic Black Stone Stamp Seal with Animals

Frieze depicting two standing profile figures wearing ankle-length robes, their raised hands supporting a crescent with pellets in a vertical column, second pelleted motif to the rear; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 3.68 grams, 28.4 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

Pillow-shaped with columnar ribbing to the broad faces, dense cuneiform text in the columns. 57.2 grams, 63 mm



Private collection of Mr K., Maryland, USA. Private collection, Switzerland, acquired in 2000. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12893-241757.

The 2nd millennium B.C. (about 2000–1000 B.C.) was an important period in the ancient Near East, when major civilisations such as the Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, and Egyptians grew in power and influence. It was a time of progress in trade, government, law, and writing, helping us understand how people lived and worked. Cuneiform tablets, which are small clay tablets written in one of the earliest writing systems, were widely used to record business, legal matters, letters, and stories. When these tablets are found outside their place of origin, it can show connections through trade, travel, or official communication, offering insight into both the ancient world and how such objects later moved through collections.

Comprising tanged triangular arrowheads, one with barbed shoulders. 327 grams total, 8.3-14.4 cm



London, UK, collection, 1990s.

One series of arrowheads seems to belong to the category of lanceolate head and rounded shoulders from the category Type V, i.e. triangular arrowheads with rounded or angular midrib. Some other arrowheads seem to be a subcategory of subtype A of Khorasani, but longer.