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LOT 0206
Western Asiatic Bronze Statuette of a Kneeling Priest
LATE 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 1/4 in. (359 grams, 83 mm).
Modelled as a kneeling priest wearing a knee-length kilt, the long hair combed back from the face and extending down the back, arms bent, and fists clenched, resting on the belt, recessed to the underside.
ProvenanceEx London family collection, since the 1970s.
Accompanied by a report of metallurgical analytical results, written by Metallurgist Dr Brian Gilmour of the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13313-258236.
Cf. Carter, M.L., Goldstein, S., Harper, P.O., Kawami, T.S., Meyers, P., Splendors of the Ancient East, Antiquities from the al-Sabah collection, London, 2013, fig.5, for a similar statuette of a kneeling man from Early Dynastic Ur, 2650-2550 B.C.
FootnotesThis powerful figure was probably lost-wax cast in arsenical copper, as were many Near Eastern bronzes of the 3rd millennium. He is muscular with broad shoulders, a strong chest and a well-toned, rippling abdomen. The pleated long garment is typical of the Mesopotamian men. Very interesting is his praying gesture, which is typical of the statuette of Ur culture.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0206
Western Asiatic Bronze Statuette of a Kneeling Priest
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720
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Post Sasanian Silver Footed Dish with 'Tamga'
Circa 8th-10th century A.D. or laterEstimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £800
Discoid footed dish with raised rim, central tondo with parcel-gilt ring and 'tamga' motif. 466 grams, 22 cm
Private collection, UK. 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 search certificate number no.13029-247330.
During the Sasanian Empire, the North Iranian ‘tamgas’ became ‘Neshan’ or seals and heraldic symbols of nobility and military personnel, worn on their dress, horses, standards and personal belongings like this vessel. This characteristic continued during the early Muslim domination. Among the Neshan published by Christensen, one particular ‘tamga’, related to an unknown Sasanian clan, recalls exactly half of the one impressed on the present example (Farrokh, 2005, p.23 no.5). -
Large Bactrian Terracotta Chalice
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Current Winning Bid: £50
Comprising a broad shallow bowl with carination, supported by a sturdy shank on a conical base. 6.15 kg. 32 cm wide
From a London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
Bactrian Copper Standing Zebu
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
Standing with head raised, dewlap to the chin and chest, angled hump behind the shoulders; mounted on a custom-made stand. 215 grams, 11.1 cm wide (351 grams total, 11.7 cm including stand)
Acquired before 1972. with a London, UK gallery. Private collection, UK.
