Western Asiatic Engraved Stone Amuletic Bead Group

Stylised figure with one knee bent before the body, hands resting on the raised knee, applied stylised facial detailing. 31.6 grams, 72 mm



Mayfair gallery, early 1990s. Ex collection of a North American gentleman.

Comprising: a large ring with an oval bezel set with an agate gemstone with a four-line inscription; a smaller ring set with an orange carnelian gemstone with an inscription; a ring with a rectangular orange carnelian gemstone with a calligraphic inscription; a ring with a raised rectangular bezel with remains of reddish-brown paste. 48.7 grams total, 22-30 mm



Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Private collection, London, UK.

Bulbous body with four stub legs, tall neck and internal strainer, tall scooped edge to the rim, loop handle to the rear; body and neck painted with geometric motifs, red paint on the base and legs. 1.16 kg, 32.3 cm



UK collection, 1990s. Acquired on the UK art market, before 2000. Private collection, Mr M.V., a London-based businessman.

Artefacts from Amlash date from the late second millennium B.C. through to the Partho-Sasanian period, with most dated to the 9th and 8th centuries B.C. Zoomorphic drinking or ritual vessels are abundant in Amlash pottery and usually feature depictions of animals common to that region. Such vessels have been recovered across Mesopotamia and Anatolia, and they were known as Bibru. They were produced as ceremonial drinking vessels, dedicated to specific deities, but they might also have served as drinking vessels for the social elite and royal family members.