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LOT 0257
Western Asiatic Marble Ibex Head with Painted Eyes and Remains of Original Pigment
MID 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
9 1/8 in. (1.4 kg total, 23.2 cm high including stand).
Carved in the round with fine facial detailing; flaring nostrils and deep-set mouth, beard beneath the chin; inlaid eyes with raised black lids framing the large pupils, curving horns with ribbed detailing picked out in black pigment; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceAcquired on the London art market, 1993.
Property of a gentleman.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12069-214290.
Cf. Shepperd, D.G., ‘A bronze sculpture from Iran’ in The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Vol. 48, no.10 (Dec 1961), pp.255-258, figs. 1, 4, 5, for similar ibexes in metal.
FootnotesIn Mesopotamian art, wild sheep, ibexes, gazelles, antelopes, and goats of various species are frequently represented in art from the earliest times until the Parthian period.
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 0257
Western Asiatic Marble Ibex Head with Painted Eyes and Remains of Original Pigment
Sold for (Inc. bp): £7,150
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Sassanian Stone Seal with Animal
Circa 3rd-7th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
With stylised quadruped resting with head bowed and legs folded beneath the body; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 10.5 grams, 22 mm
Ex Symes Gallery, Mayfair, UK, before 1999. -
Sumerian Terracotta 'Bulla Envelope' with Impressed Decoration
Uruk Period, circa 5500-3100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
Complete and of spherical form, containing clay 'tokens'; the outer face impressed with enigmatic motifs. 105 grams, 66 mm
Specialised collection of cuneiform texts, the property of a London gentleman and housed in London before 1988. 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. Accompanied by a copy of two previous illustrated and typed catalogue pages.
The tokens sealed within the bulla are believed to have been used as part of the accounting process in Sumerian or early Uruk agriculture. -
Bactrian Style Lapis Lazuli Bead Necklace
20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
Mainly square-section and tubular types. 47 grams, 91 cm long
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection.
