Western Asiatic Carnelian Cylinder Seal with Animals

Sheet-silver vessel with drum-shaped body, narrow discoid repoussé base; bands of repoussé foliage to the body beneath a raised collar and fluted neck and rim; rectangular-section crescent handle held by two securing hoops formed as miniature rams. 1.2 kg, 26.5 cm wide



From an old private collection. with Oxus Fine Arts Pte. Ltd, Singapore. Acquired by the current owner in London, 2012. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12288-220840.

Dr Grigoriev, in his studies on Sogdian silver artworks, has traced specific Sogdian features of metalwork prototypes on the basis of the ceramic replicas. Some of these features were distinguished on gold and silver vessels, which possess many other characteristics bringing them together. In our bucket, the style and the decoration of the flowers resemble those of the bucket with deer from Shirokovskoe (Perm, see Marshak, 1971, T,35), while the bands of repoussé foliage to the body beneath the raised collar and fluted neck and rim recall the decoration of the dish with deer from Rep’evka, in Samara Province (Darkevich, 1976, n.12).

Bulbous body with slightly flattened base and a trumpet-shaped neck. 360 grams, 12.4 cm



From a pre 1988 collection, thence by descent.

Conical in profile with hollowed interior, opposed fixing holes at the rim. 27.7 grams, 50.34 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.