Lot 68
Ancient Near East/Asia Minor, central Anatolia, modern-day Turkey, Early Bronze Age, ca. 2nd millennium BCE. A fabulous bronze chariot that was intended as a toy for a child. The chariot body has a flat base surrounded by thin railings upon vertical balusters, a slightly tilted front panel with a pair of semicircular handles, and a pair of slender axle nubbins with four broad, discoid wheels secured to the terminals. Two wire reins extend from the chariot front and wrap around the harnesses of two muscular bulls, each with stocky bodies, slender legs, pointed horns. Size: 12.5" L x 4.25" W x 3.9" H (31.8 cm x 10.8 cm x 9.9 cm)
This artifact is a wonderful representation of childhood innocence, discovery, and the lengths at which adults will go to inspire and please a child. Toys fashioned from bone, terracotta, or other readily-available materials would have been the norm in ancient times, so one created from bronze like this example would have been something truly special. Other examples of bronze toy carts have been found throughout parts of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia, suggesting that the appeal and popularity of toys was quite prevalent throughout the ancient world despite the painstaking process needed to create such a plaything.
Another example of an oxen-pulled toy cart hammered for GBP 50,000 ($61,982.05) at Christie's, London "Antiquities" auction (sale 1548, April 2, 2014, lot 30).
For another similar example as well as a great descriptive overview of this type of toy cart, please see: Muscarella, Oscar White. Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, pp. 414-415, fig. 568.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-William Froelich collection, New York, USA, collected in the 1970s
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#154321
- Condition: Restoration to hind quarters of one ox, with smooth resurfacing and overpainting along break lines. Oxen and cart professionally cleaned and conserved. Slight bending to overall form of wheels, some chariot components, reins, and bull harnesses, with heavy encrustations, and softening to some finer details on bulls. Nice earthen deposits throughout, and some visible areas of green patina.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |