Description:

Ancient Near East, Babylon, Old Period, ca. 1894 to 1595 BCE. A charming collection of nine beautiful stone weights, each hand-carved into the form of a stylized duck with the head turned 180 degrees, resting atop the rounded back, while the bulbous body tapers gently downward to a stable base. Stone weights like these were used to conduct business and set rigid penalties against individuals who used false weights or claimed a false or incorrect weight for their product. Included here are a particularly fine and rare hematite example, one limestone, and several from quartz or similar near-translucent stones. Also a smooth, opaque black stone duck weight drilled through to form a pendant. Size of hematite example (all are fairly similar in size): 0.8" W (2 cm)

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#138490

  • Condition: All are intact, with light wear commensurate with age including a few chips, nicks, and scratches. Nice preservation of form with some smoothing of detail from age.

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June 8, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$300 $999 $50
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$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