Western Asiatic Stone Gaming Piece Group

A rare complete and undamaged rectangular plaque bearing raised, moulded text on the obverse; with hatched three horizontal bars and two pelletted between five registers, framing the letters of the alphabet '+ABCDE / FGHIKL / MN[reversed]OPq / RSTVW / +Y[Z]'; tree with berries on a hatched field to the reverse. 26.8 grams, 53 mm



Found whilst searching with a metal detector near Kniveton, Derbyshire Dales, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.WMID-341C6A.

The letter 'U' has been omitted from the alphabet, as is common with such objects, as has the letter 'J', suggesting that the book was produced prior to the publication of Charles Butler's English Grammar (1633), which first distinguished between I and J. The letter Z is reversed. Hornbooks were employed as learning aids and commonly made from paper mounted onto wood, together with a transparent sheet of horn. Smaller, more portable lead-alloy examples such as this one are generally believed to have been mass-produced, whilst still falling within the genre of 'hornbooks'.

The goddess shown in an elegant pose with her head turned to the right and her gaze directed upwards, wearing a laurel leaf crown and a loose garment covering her left breast, leaving the right one exposed, narrow quiver strap crossing over her right shoulder; her hair dressed in soft waves and pulled to a chignon at the nape of her neck; old repair on the neck. 66.5 kg, 68 cm high



Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13080-246797.

In the 19th century, many studies of the hunter goddess were inspired by the 'Diana of Versailles', a 2nd-century Roman version in the Greek tradition of iconography, today in the collection of the Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

Gold cell with suspension loop, inset banded agate panel with reserved female profile bust with hair in a chignon. 7.8 grams, 38 mm



Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market.