Western Asiatic Terracotta Jar

A hollow-formed figure or idol head with conical cap, pinched facial form, applied brows and other detailing; mounted on a stand. 600 grams, 16 cm

Fine condition.

Property of a Cambridgeshire lady; formerly in the Igor Karmiloff collection (1925-2016), UN economist and author of Flashbacks, Icons of Impermanence, Bloomington, 2009; acquired in the 1950s-early 1990s. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.

In iridescent glass with squat body and hexagonal-section mouth; facetted body with impressed ring detailing. 13.2 grams, 33 mm



Ex collection of the late Mr S. M., London, UK, 1970-1990s. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Bulbous body with four stub legs, tall neck and internal strainer, tall scooped edge to the rim, loop handle to the rear; body and neck painted with geometric motifs, red paint on the base and legs. 1.16 kg, 32.3 cm



UK collection, 1990s. Acquired on the UK art market, before 2000. Private collection, Mr M.V., a London-based businessman.

Artefacts from Amlash date from the late second millennium B.C. through to the Partho-Sasanian period, with most dated to the 9th and 8th centuries B.C. Zoomorphic drinking or ritual vessels are abundant in Amlash pottery and usually feature depictions of animals common to that region. Such vessels have been recovered across Mesopotamia and Anatolia, and they were known as Bibru. They were produced as ceremonial drinking vessels, dedicated to specific deities, but they might also have served as drinking vessels for the social elite and royal family members.