Western Asiatic Gemstone Necklace Pendant Collection

Spherical hollow clay mass with the remains of impressions to the exterior and ceramic tokens inside; surface cracked. 169 grams, 61 mm



Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1992. 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.

This bulla envelope likely belonged to the Sumerian or Uruk culture. It is believed that there are less than 250 complete and fragmentary examples of this type of bulla envelope worldwide. This is one of only a handful of examples ever offered at auction. The bulla first emerged in Mesopotamia around 8000 B.C. The clay envelopes contain a number of pre-baked accounting tokens, which were used in commercial and stock-taking transactions. Placing the tokens inside the bulla greatly enhanced the honesty of the transaction, as the bulla would have to be broken or crushed to reveal its contents.

Composed of a polished flat diamond-shaped carnelian bead, with pricked design in the form of a galley, drilled for suspension; sold together with six translucent green glass doughnut-shaped beads displaying decorative vertical dashes around the external faces. 4.51 grams total, 8-20 mm



From a family collection formed 1900-1950; by descent circa 1980.

Composed of restrung lentoid-section disc beads. 29 grams, 45 cm long



UK gallery, early 2000s.