Description:

Western Asia, ca. 2nd millennium BCE. A pale red-brown cylinder seal bead, pierced through vertically for suspension. The surface is incised with fine-line motifs of very stylized anthropomorphic figures standing and sitting before what looks like an altar. Cylinder seal technology originated in the ancient Near East and spread outward from there, finding its way into western Asia, Egypt, and Arabia. Royals, government officials, scribes, and slaves used them to transact business and send correspondence. They were worn around the neck or wrist and served as a signature and a guarantee, rolled into the moist clay of accounting and governance documents.

Provenance: private Zaveloff collection, Lakewood, New Jersey, USA, acquired from Venus Gallery, Israel, in 2002

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#155600

  • Condition: The surface is lightly abraded with a few tiny chips, nicks, and scratches, but motifs are clear. Accompanied by a clay rollout.

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July 1, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
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