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Near Eastern | Lots 50-72
50 A Western Asiatic Chlorite Vessel
CIRCA 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C. Height 10 inches (25.4 cm). Property from a New Jersey Private Collection
Provenance: John Krysko Collection, New York, 1980s. Art Market, New York, 1980s-2006.
This vessel with an elegant tapering form is carved in shallow relief. It depicts a whimsical palm grove, and combines stylistic elements from both Bactrian and Mesopotamian civilizations. $4,000 - 6,000
51 A Luristan Bronze Sword
CIRCA EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C. Height 22 inches (55.4 cm). Property from a New Jersey Private Collection
Provenance: Art Market, London. David Kennedy Collection, late 1980s. Private Collection (Green), York, England. Artemis Gallery, Louisville, Colorado, Ancient Asian Ethnographic Winter Variety, 10 January 2019, Lot 59A.
$1,200 - 1,800
52 A Luristan Bronze Axehead
CIRCA EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C. Height 3 1/4 inches (8.3 cm).
Provenance: Artemission, London, UK, August 2005.
This axehead has a bulbous blade that springs from a snake’s mouth, while a bird is perched on the rear of the shaft-hole with wings extending down the shaft.
$600 - 800
53 A Luristan Bronze Axehead
CIRCA EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C. Length 9 1/8 inches (23.2 cm).
Provenance: Artemission, London, UK, August 2005. $800 - 1,200
55 A Canaanite Bronze Duck-Bill Axehead
CIRCA 1900-1600 B.C. Length 4 1/8 inches (10.5 cm).
Provenance: Harlan J. Berk, Ltd., Chicago, Illinois, Private Sale, 12 November 2003. $400 - 600
54 A Luristan Bronze Axehead
CIRCA EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C. Length 9 5/8 inches (24.5 cm).
Provenance: Mintz Collection, acquired in the 1970s. Sands of Time Ancient Art, Washington, D.C. $800 - 1,200
58 A Luristan Bronze Master of the Animals Finial
CIRCA 9TH-7TH CENTURY B.C. Height 7 1/2 inches (19.7 cm). Property from the Collection of Mr. Kashanian, New York
Provenance: Acquired by the present owner prior to 1969. $1,000 - 1,500
56 Two Amlash Bronze Figures of a Male and Female
CIRCA EARLY 1ST MILLENNIUM B.C. Height of tallest 3 1/8 inches (8 cm). Property from the Collection of Mr. Kashanian, New York
Provenance: Acquired by the present owner prior to 1969. $3,000 - 5,000
57 A Syro-Hittite Bronze Deity Figure
CIRCA 12TH-8TH CENTURY B.C. Height 3 inches (7.6 cm). Property from a Private Pennsylvania Collector
Provenance: Jay C. Leff Collection (1925-2000), Uniontown, Pennsylvania, prior to 1965; thence by descent.
Published: J. Haskin, Near Eastern and Far Eastern Art from the Collection of Jay C. Leff (Exhibition Catalogue), New York, 1965, no. 39. [where catalogued as ‘Standing Shaman, Caucasus’]
Exhibited: New York, New York, Near Eastern and Far Eastern Art from the Collection of Jay C. Leff. The American Federation of Art, 5 August - 29 September, 1965. $1,000 - 2,000
60 A Syro-Hittite Terracotta Figure
CIRCA 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C. Height 4 1/2 inches (11.5 cm).
Provenance: Art Market, Europe, prior to 1980s. Private Collection, Michigan, 1980s-1990s; thence by descent. $1,200 - 1,800
59 An Anatolian Bronze Bull
EARLY BRONZE AGE, CIRCA LATE 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C. Length 5 1/2 inches (14 cm). Property from the Collection of Mr. Kashanian, New York
Provenance: Acquired by the present owner prior to 1969. $3,000 - 5,000
“I, Lipit-Ishtar, son of the god Enlil, established justice in the land of Sumer and Akkad.” -King of Isin
61 An Akkadian Cuneiform Foundation Cone
MESOPOTAMIA, KING OF ISIN, CIRCA 1934-1924 B.C. Height 4 1/2 inches (11.43 cm).
Provenance: Philip C. Duschnes, Rare Books and First Editions, New York. The Cornelius J. Hauck Collection, prior to 1976. Christie’s, New York, The History of the Book: The Cornelius J. Hauck (1893-1967) Collection, Sale 1769, 27-28 June 2006, Lot 4.
Translation: I, Lipit-Ishtar, the humble shepherd of Nippur, true farmer of Ur, unceasing (provider) for Eridu, lord suitable for Uruk, king of Isin, king of the land of Sumer and Akkad, favourite of the goddess Ishtar, fashioned a pair of pot stands, a gift (for) the arms of the gods Enlil and Ninlil, in Isin, the city of my kingship, at the palace gate, when I, Lipit-Ishtar, son of the god Enlil, had established justice in the land of Sumer and Akkad.
This foundation cone is a written record for a building commission by the King of Isin, Lipit Ishtar, and the section from the translation above about establishing “justice in the lands of Sumer and Akkad” may refer to his eponymous code of laws.
Before the Babylonian King Hammurabi and his famed law of retribution: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, there was the Code of Lipit Ishtar. Translated from four clay fragments, the Sumerian text written on them forms the basis of his unified code of laws. These partial fragments were recovered during the Nippur excavations by the University of Pennsylvania and predate the Code of Hammurabi by nearly one hundred years. Although the fragments were rediscovered before the diorite stele from which Hammurabi’s code is written on, they had been overlooked until recently. Today, modern scholars are moved to the conclusion that Hammurabi should no longer be celebrated for establishing the world’s oldest known law code, but that this honor should go to his predecessor the King of Isin, Lipit Ishtar. $4,000 - 6,000
63 A Sumerian Clay Cuneiform Tablet
MIDDLE BABYLONIAN PERIOD, CIRCA 1595-1155 B.C. Height 3 inches (7.6 cm). Property from a New Jersey Private Collection
Provenance: Art Market, Germany, acquired 24 July 1998.
This administrative tablet is made up of names and numbers and accounts for the amounts of grain received from or given to these named individuals. $2,000 - 3,000 62 A Mesopotamian Hematite Cylinder Seal
OLD BABYLONIAN PERIOD, CIRCA 19TH-16TH CENTURY B.C. Height 1 1/16 inches (2.7 cm). Collection from an Important Midwestern Scholar
Provenance: Art Market, New York, 1990s.
The inscription on this seal does not give the usual name and patronymic of the owner, but names several gods: Ninsianna, Kabta, Shamash, and Aya, which can interpreted as an invocation for blessings. $800 - 1,200
64 A Sumerian Clay Brick
EARLY MIDDLE BABYLONIAN PERIOD, KASSITE DYNASTY, REIGN OF KING KURIGALZU II, CIRCA 1345-1324 B.C. Length 10 1/4 inches (26 cm).
Provenance: Harlan J. Berk, Ltd., Chicago, Illinois, 138th Buy or Bid Sale, 1 June 2004, Lot 479.
This Kassite inscribed brick dates to the reign of King Kurigalzu II, 1345-1324 B.C. It includes eight lines of Sumerian text, reading: “For the god, Enlil, his king, Kurigalzu, the chief administrator of Enlil, built the E-u-gal (“House of the Great Lord”), his beloved temple, its ‘House of Delight’.” $4,000 - 6,000
65 A Neo-Assyrian Hematite Pazuzu
Provenance: Art Market, Germany, 1990s. Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., New York.
This finely executed and well-preserved stone head represents the grimacing demon Pazuzu. Pazuzu was renowned for protecting humans from plague and evil forces. In Mesopotamian mythology, Pazuzu is the son of Hanba and brother to Humbaba, the demon protector of the Cedar Forest in The Epic of Gilgamesh. Personified as the West Wind—known to bring drought and famine—Pazuzu is often invoked to fight the evil powers of the goddess Lamashtu, which harmed mothers and children during childbirth. Like this present example, many Pazuzu heads are discovered with drilled holes or loops. It is thought they were worn by pregnant women to protect their babies from evil forces. $10,000 - 15,000
66 An Achaemenid Silver Phiale
CIRCA 6TH-4TH CENTURY B.C. Diameter 7 1/4 inches (18.3 cm).
Provenance: Art Market, New York. Antiquarium, Ltd., New York, 2020 (Treasures XIX, p. 21).
Formed as a phiale mesomphalos (shallow bowl with central boss), this silver vessel is either Achaemenid or East Greek. Its indented use could have been for pouring libations, drinking, or given as a gift. The frequent occurrence of phialai in ancient inventories shows that it was a popular offering in sanctuaries. There are three distinct treasury marks on the interior rim of this vessel. Although their significance is still unknown, there are examples of inscriptions and monograms on similar bowls at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Inv. no. 47.100.84) and the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Atlanta (Inv. no. 2014.036.001). $4,000 - 6,000 67 An Achaemenid Gold Griffin Applique
CIRCA 6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C. Length 1 3/4 inch (4.5 cm). Property from a Private Pennsylvania Collector
Provenance: Nasli Heeramaneck, New York (1902-1971). Jay C. Leff Collection (1925-2000), Uniontown, Pennsylvania; thence by descent. $400 - 600
68 An Achaemenid Hollow Gold Head of Lion
CIRCA 6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C. Length 3/4 inch (1.91 cm). Property from the Collection of Mr. Kashanian, New York
Provenance: Acquired by the present owner prior to 1969. $1,000 - 2,000
69 A South Arabian Alabaster Ibex
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D. Height 5 3/8 inches (14 cm).
Provenance: Art Market, Europe. Art Market, New York, acquired 1990s. $2,500 - 3,500
70 A South Arabian Limestone Stele
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D. Height 14 3/8 inches (36.3 cm). Property from a New Jersey Private Collection
Provenance: Art Market, Europe, 1990s. Art Market, New York, 1990s-2006. $1,200 - 1,800
71 A Sasanian Silver-Gilt Lobed Bowl
CIRCA 7TH CENTURY A.D. Length 6 15/16 inches (17.2 cm). Property from the Collection of Mr. Kashanian, New York
Provenance: Acquired by the present owner prior to 1969. Sotheby’s, New York, Antiquities, 11 June 2010, Lot 49.
$15,000 - 20,000
72 A Sasanian Silver-Gilt Lobed Bowl
CIRCA 7TH CENTURY A.D. Length 6 1/4 inches (15.9 cm). Property from the Collection of Mr. Kashanian, New York
Provenance: Acquired by the present owner prior to 1969. Sotheby’s, New York, Antiquities, 11 June 2010, Lot 50.
$5,000 - 10,000
