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LOT 1273
Western Asiatic Jasper Scaraboid Seal
LEVANT, CIRCA 10TH CENTURY B.C.
3/4 in. (3.35 grams, 18 mm).
Engraved stylised detailing to the domed carapace, the underside with quadrupeds and caterpillars in exergue; pierced longitudinally; accompanied by a museum-quality impression.
ProvenanceFrom the 'S' collection, acquired 1970-1990s.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1273
Western Asiatic Jasper Scaraboid Seal
Estimate £300 - 400€350 - 460 (for guidance only)$410 - 540 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£150 (EUR 174; USD 203) +BP*
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Neo-Babylonian Hematite Duck Weight
Circa 800-600 B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
Modelled in the round with its neck and head resting along the spine. 14.1 grams, 30 mm
Private collection, 1990s-early 2000s. -
Western Asiatic White Stone Cylinder Seal with Figures
2nd-1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £15
Frieze comprising a tall standing figure facing, flanked by five similar figures, all joined by horizontal bars at shoulders and hips, doubled borders; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 4.56 grams, 21 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Western Asiatic Stone Macehead
4th millennium B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Oval in plan with a tapering drilled central socket. 360 grams, 81 mm
Ex private collection, Contessa L.G., since the 1980s. Private collection, acquired in 1999.
The mace was a close-combat weapon consisting of a short handle and a massive striking element—the head, a striking weapon capable of inflicting severe contusions and internal fractures. Although a very archaic and rather primitive weapon, the mace was nevertheless widely used in the ancient East. Its sacred and representative role was particularly significant. Due to its shape, it symbolised the owner's masculinity and was therefore one of the primary insignia of power, symbolising the inseparability of its civil, military, and sacred-magical essences—ensuring the functioning and reproduction of the collective and the conditions for its existence. This is why we so often encounter ‘ceremonial’ maces, especially those made of stone—in this case, undoubtedly a ritual material. However, it must be said that stone, as a material for a mace head, was in no way inferior to metal in terms of combat qualities, while being much more labour-intensive to manufacture, which was precisely what appealed to the ritual, symbolic role of this weapon.
