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LOT 1326
Western Asiatic Terracotta Animal Rider
2ND-1ST MILLENNIUM B.C.
7 7/8 in. (676 grams total, 20 cm high including stand).
Modelled in the round standing facing, the rider gripping the animal with his thighs and by its ears, stylised detailing to both figures in the form of applied circular eyes and pricked headbands, the rider wearing a conical cap; mounted on a substantial cylindrical perspex display base. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceCollected from 1979-1999.
From the collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK.
From the Moussieff salon cabinet display.
From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.
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AUCTIONS:
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Western Asiatic Bronze Arrowhead Collection
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Including tanged, barbed, square-section and other types. 150 grams total, 4.5-10.7 cm
Ex London, UK, collection, 1990s. -
Western Asiatic Bronze Bowl
Late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Broad and squat with ring to the centre of the inner face. 168 grams, 13.3 cm
Ex 1990s collection and with a central London gallery. -
Sumerian Terracotta Bulla
4th millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
A bulla with oval stamped impression of two animals. 147 grams, 60 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 a previous catalogue page.
Small globular and hollowed clay balls are defined as 'bulla'. They are also known as ‘bulla-envelopes', some of which are plain and some displaying epigraphic, zoomorphic and/or figural decoration, impressed by either cylinder or stamp seals. Bulla first emerged in Mesopotamia and their earliest occurrence can be traced to circa 8000 B.C. Most know decorated bullae come from the Uruk area and offer an insight into its culture. This bulla represents a religious scene, indicated by the combination of the pyramid-shaped byre and the 'sacred herd', which are seen on the early Uruk seals. The symbol of the Mother-Goddess, presented in conjunction with the representations of sheep herd and byre, gave such imagery symbolic significance. The impression with two sheep depicted under the byre, might have been impressed by a stamp seal of the early Uruk period.
