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LOT 1222
Western Asiatic Limestone Mortar
1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
5 1/4 in. (4.85 kg, 13 cm).
With short columnar base and bulbous upper body, broad rim with pouring lip. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom 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.
Cf. Squitieri. A., Eitam, D. (ed.), Stone tools in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Ground stone tools, rock-cut installations and stone vessels from Prehistory to Late Antiquity, Oxford, 2019, pp. 237-238, and 275, for examples of similar type.
FootnotesThe later (2nd -3rd century A.D.) Rabbinic tradition emphasised the difference between the permanent mortar (makhtesh kevua) and the movable one (makhtesh metaltelet), with the first being automatically sold with the house, but the second sold only if expressly stated by the vendor. This form of movable mortar was common in the Levant throughout the second half of the 1st millennium B.C.
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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Urartu Bronze Zoomorphic Bracelet
Circa 10th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
A penannular bracelet with D-section body and stylised beast head terminals. 29.6 grams, 63 mm
UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman. -
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Large Middle Elamite Cylinder Seal of Kidnu, Chief Overseer of King Tan-Ruhurater II
Circa 1450 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £15,600
A high-status green chalcedony seal with frieze depicting a seated figure in horned headdress facing a standing figure with arms outstretched, small monkey to the legs; six columns of Akkadian cuneiform text transliterated as: 1. ki-di-nu UGULA KUŠ-MEŠ 2. GAL šà tan-dru-hu- 3. ra-te-er EŠŠANA šu-ši 4. u an-za-an ARAD 5. šà dha-te-ri-iš 6. šak(?) ì-lí-šu 'Kidinu, chief overseer of the equerries(?) of Tan-Ruhurater, King of Susa and Anzan, servant of Haterishshak, his god'. The seal's owner was an official of King Tan-Ruhurater II (circa 1450 B.C.), king of Susa and Anzan. The title used to describe Kidinu is sometimes translated 'high official', elsewhere 'horse groom' or 'animal trainer'; the Elamite deity Haterish is otherwise unknown. 23.8 grams, 39 mm
From a Mayfair gallery, London, UK; previously acquired in the 1980s. Property of a North London lady; gifted from her father's collection. From a collection acquired from various auction houses in the UK. From the estate of Mr R.W., a private Wiltshire, UK, collector; thence by descent. Accompanied by a copy of a specialist academic report dated June 2017. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12122-215563. -
Amlash Terracotta Stag Rhyton
1st millennium B.C.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £311
Comprising a slightly tapering tubular body with applied domed rump, four stub legs, angled conical neck, head with crescent horns; trumpet-shaped filer hole to the back with strap handle, incised detailing; restored. 856 grams, 31 cm
with a London, UK gallery 1971-early 2000s. Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report and photograph by Oxford Authentication with sample no.281z20 dated 16 June 1981.
