Description:

Ancient Near East, Mesopotamia, Sumer, city of Lagash, Neo-Sumerian Period, reign of Gudea of Lagash, ca. 2120 to 2090 BCE. A hand-built clay foundation cone of a votive form bearing a tapered body surmounted by a discoid head with a slightly convex top. Inscribed around the body are nine columns of cuneiform text that give prayers or praises for specific gods or rulers. When translated this cone reads, "For Ningirsu, the mighty warrior of Enlil, Gudea, governor of Lagash, who built the Eninnu (temple) of Ningirsu, (also) built his Epa, the temple of seven sectors." Size: 5.375" L x 2.6" W (13.7 cm x 6.6 cm)

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 45.90; also "Beloved by Time: Four Millennia of Ancient Art." Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, 2000, pp. 18-19, fig. 28.

Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000

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#158444

  • Condition: Loss to tip of body as shown. Minor nicks to head and body, with softening to some cuneiform characters, and light encrustations. Nice remains of cuneiform script around body.

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October 22, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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