Western Asiatic Stone Geometric Pendant

A stone frieze with four lines of large cuneiform text accompanied by documentation to support that this a section from the annals of King Ashurnasirpal II: 'Ashurnasirpal (II), great king, mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Tukulti-Ninurta (II), great king, mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, son of Adad-nirari (II), great king, mighty king, king of the universe, king of Assyria, valiant man, who acts with the support of the weapons of Assur, his lord, who has no equal among the princes of the four regions, king who has subdued (the territories extending) from the opposite bank of the Tigris to Mount Lebanon and the Great Sea, the entire land of Laqû, the land of Suhu as far as the city of Rapiqu. He conquered the sources of the Subnat river as far as the land of Nirbu…'; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 2.85 kg total, 36.5 cm wide including stand



Belgian private collection, acquired before 1960, and thence by descent to the collector's widow. with Mrs Drees (?), Brussels, acquired from the widow of the above, 2004. with Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, 28 October 2006, lot 219. with Gorny & Mosch, Munich, 12 December 2023, lot 416. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13369-258955.

Most of the reliefs and inscriptions of this king are in the British Museum and Louvre. Further holdings are in the New York Historical Society, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University. They celebrated the glory of the Assyrians at the apogee of their Empire.

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.

Paper leaf from a manuscript mounted in a rectangular veneer reveal; Side A: gilt-bordered painted miniature with in two bands of calligraphic text divided into four blocks; nobleman in floor-length robe wearing a crown and turban sitting on a gilt throne with floral decoration, stroking his beard; two courtiers to his rear and a third to one side; standing military figure in helmet and mailcoat, with a scabbarded shamshir at his side, greaves and poleyns on his legs; all set in a garden with fountain and verdure; Side B: four columns of calligraphic text in 29 lines; signature to the bottom left. 90 grams, 40.2 x 28 cm



Private collection, UK.