Description:

Ancient Near East, Mesopotamia, Sumeria, ca. 2500 to 2200 BCE. A charming amulet in the form of a bull, hand-carved from a pale red stone, with a triangular face, small ears, and inlaid shell eyes. The body is drilled through vertically to make it wearable. The Sumerians believed strongly in magic, and the magical powers of amulets, created to be deterrents against the Evil Eye. The oldest of these amulets are stone animal form ones like these. They were also fascinated by wild animals, and particularly dangerous and powerful ones. Bulls were symbols of masculinity, power, and virility. Size: 2" W x 1.3" H (5.1 cm x 3.3 cm)

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#144136

  • Condition: One of the shell inlays is lost. The other seems to have a small loss from it. Small scratch on back and light wear on surface commensurate with age. Faint deposits.

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June 6, 2019 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
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$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
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