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LOT 0219
Western Asiatic Bronze Ram-Shaped Kohl Vessel
CIRCA 1500 B.C.
4 1/2 in. (425 grams, 11.4 cm).
Modelled as a stylised ram with stocky body and short legs, exaggerated head with curving horns and large ears, tubular mouth with remains of the applicator closing the opening.
ProvenancePrivate collection Dr Rudolf and Leonora Blum, Zumikon, Switzerland.
with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0219
Western Asiatic Bronze Ram-Shaped Kohl Vessel
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
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Western Asiatic Turquoise-Coloured Stone Bead Necklace
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £520
Restrung designer group of flat-diamond, lentoid-section tabular, and other types. 99 grams, 66 cm
From the collection of a late Japanese gentleman, 1970s onwards. -
Sabaean Alabaster Bull
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,750
Carved in the round with integral rectangular base; of sturdy build with thick shoulders, rump and legs; latticed hair texture to the brow. 1.14 kg, 14 cm wide
Mrs Janssens, Belgium, 1970s. Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S000119291. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12980-245246.
In Sabaean religion, the bull signalled strength, fertility, and divine protection, and is often linked by scholarship with the moon-god Almaqah, the principal deity of the kingdom. Small alabaster figures of this type were likely set up as temple offerings or served as fittings within cultic furnishings; flat undersides or discreet mounting points on some examples suggest attachment to a larger ensemble. -
Monumental Luristan Bronze Armband Pair with Dragon Heads
Late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
A matching pair of penannular armbands, each with a round-section body and dragon-head terminals, one terminal on each band separately made; the dragons with ring-and-dot eyes and linear decoration, slit mouths and flaring nostrils. 1.19 kg total, 13-13.1 cm
Ex London, UK gallery, 1971-early 2000s. Private collection, London.
Bronze armbands of this scale and quality are characteristic of Luristan, an important centre of metal production in western Iran during the early 1st millennium B.C. The region is renowned for its distinctive cast bronzes, including weapons, horse trappings, and items of personal adornment, often decorated with powerful animal imagery. The dragon, with its elongated body and open jaws, was a common motif in Luristan art, symbolising strength, protection, and the supernatural. Armbands with dragon-head terminals likely carried an apotropaic function, serving both as impressive ornaments and as protective charms for the wearer. Monumental examples such as this pair are rare survivals, attesting to the high status of their original owner and the extraordinary skill of Luristan bronze workers.
