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LOT 1256
Western Asiatic Bronze Weight Collection
CIRCA 8TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
3/8 - 1 in. (127 grams total, 10-24 mm).
Including barrel-shaped, discoid, octagonal and other types, some with stamped markings. [8, No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Simmons gallery, London, UK.
Ex North London collection, 1990s.
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AUCTIONS:
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Sassanian Stone Seal with Animal
Circa 3rd-7th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
With stylised quadruped resting with head bowed and legs folded beneath the body; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 10.5 grams, 22 mm
Ex Symes Gallery, Mayfair, UK, before 1999. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Howling Dog Figure
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £169
Modelled in the round with sinuous body, head raised and mouth open; possibly the bridge from a stringed instrument; mounted on a custom-made stand. 99 grams total, 52 mm including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Sumerian Terracotta 'Bulla Envelope' with Impressed Decoration
Uruk Period, circa 5500-3100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
Complete and of spherical form, containing clay 'tokens'; the outer face impressed with enigmatic motifs. 105 grams, 66 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1988. Thence by descent to family members. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The collection is exceptional for the variety of types, including some very rare and well preserved examples. Accompanied by a copy of two previous illustrated and typed catalogue pages.
The tokens sealed within the bulla are believed to have been used as part of the accounting process in Sumerian or early Uruk agriculture.