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LOT 1248
Western Asiatic Bronze Bull Rider
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
2 in. (84 grams, 51 mm high).
Showing a man on a standing bull, grabbing the hair of a captive with his right hand.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
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.
Cf. Ornan, T., ‘The bull and its two masters: Moon and Storm deities in relation to the bull in ancient Near Eastern Art (the phenomenon of shared identical emblematic imagery in Levantine iconography)’ in Israel Exploration Journal, 51 (1), pp.1-26, figs.12-14, for divinities mounting a bull.
FootnotesThe statuette can represent the god storm Hazor, a storm deity with lunar traits. The association between a bull and storm deities is well known on Anatolian sealings from 20th-19th century B.C. The portrayal of a god standing on a bull in conjunction with lunar symbols derived from Old Babylonian cult, where the bull was connected with the Moon as a goddess, and continued in the Near East in association with the god Hazor, identified with El, head of the Canaanite pantheon.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1248
Western Asiatic Bronze Bull Rider
Estimate £600 - 800€700 - 930 (for guidance only)$810 - 1,080 (for guidance only)
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Achaemenid Gold Ring with Agate Bull
Circa 500 B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,500
Comprising a round-section swivel ring set with a carved Apis bull depicted recumbent with its head turned to the right. 4.71 grams, 27.98 mm overall, 19.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12939-245988.
The Apis bull was a sacred animal in ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as a living manifestation of the god Ptah and later associated with Osiris and Ra. Regarded as an intermediary between the gods and humanity, the Apis bull was chosen based on specific physical characteristics, such as a black coat with unique white markings. Once identified, it was housed in a grand temple in Memphis, where it was treated with great reverence, adorned with jewellery, and participated in important religious ceremonies. Upon its death, the bull underwent elaborate mummification and burial rituals, symbolising its transition to the afterlife and its continued divine role. The cult of the Apis bull highlights the Egyptians’ deep connection to animals as symbols of divine power and their belief in the interconnectedness of the mortal and spiritual worlds. -
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Neo-Babylonian Chalcedony Stamp Seal with Animal
6th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £275
Tongue-shaped in profile with incuse image of an advancing ram beneath a crescent moon, arrow in the field. 4.40 grams, 18.46 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. -
Syro-Hittite Bronze Male Idol
2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Round-section body with pinched facial detailing, right arm raised and bent, left hand protecting the genitals. 36.5 grams, 78 mm
Previously the property of an Islington, London, UK, dealer. From a London, UK, private collector since circa 1990.
