Western Asiatic Bronze Footed Chalice

Comprising an oblate body with lateral trilobe ledge handles, raised rim to filler hole, long nozzle rectangular in plan with lip at forward edge, loop handle to rear and pierced leaf-shaped reflector. 143 grams, 15 cm



Private UK collection. Acquired in the 1980s. Property of a Cambridgeshire gentleman.

Raised from a single sheet with conical body and everted rim, three striding ibexes in repoussè, each with its head held up high and depicted with defined musculature and genitalia; band of ovule decoration above and below, three hanging flowers separating the ibexes; the base with a an eight-petalled flower; late Elamite or Marlik. 153 grams, 12 cm



with Mahboubian Gallery, New York, acquired prior to 1966. Property of a London gentleman. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.12161-218632.

This splendid vessel, decorated with a design possibly of Elamite origin, probably originates from North-Western Iran, or from South Caspian Area. Hammered sheet vessels were produced in Western Iranian metal workshops since the 3rd millennium B.C. (Moorey, Bunker, Porada, Markoe, 1981, p.82). By far the closest parallels are from Marlik, Kaluraz and Hasanlu, where finds of silver and gold vessels with animal friezes, and also of the same form and style of animal depiction and body decoration are recorded (Negahban, 1964, figs. 103, 108, 109, 111, 113, 136, 140, 144, pls. IV, VIIIA, XII, XVI).

Frieze with two full-length standing figures in ankle-length robes each holding a feather towards a pillar with sun-disc above, crouching human worshipper to one side, labrys to the other; scene in two registers with guilloche border between, gryphon above with one foreleg raised, ibex below, crouching with tail raised; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 14 grams, 31 mm



From the 'S' collection, acquired 1970-1990s. The collection was seen and studied by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology at the University of Birmingham, 1970-1993. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12248-222164.