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THBAncient Tell Brak Pottery Eye Idol
Lot 53
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,100 - $1,650
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Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Jun 1, 2023
Set Reminder
2023-06-01 10:00:00
2023-06-01 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient | Asian | Ethno | Native American Art
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-asian-ethno-native-american-art-12905
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient, and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, more! All legally acquired, legal to sell. Satisfaction guaranteed. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient, and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, more! All legally acquired, legal to sell. Satisfaction guaranteed. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (264)
- Lot Description
Ancient Near East, Tell Brak, modern day Syria, Late Uruk Period, ca. 3300 to 3000 BCE. Hand-made from ceramic, this is one of the most famous classes of artifact from early Mesopotamia. It has a wide, bell-shaped body surmounted by two loops, forming "eyes." Eye idols were named in the 1930s by the British archaeologist Max Mallowan when he was excavating at the mound called Tell Brak and found hundreds of small anthropomorphic items of similar form to this one - some kind of simplified body topped by large discs for eyes and no other discernible facial features. He named the place where he found them the "Temple of the Eyes." Size: 4" W x 4.875" H (10.2 cm x 12.4 cm)
More recently, items like this one have been found beyond the Temple of the Eyes, leading French archaeologist Catherine Breniquet to speculate that examples like this one could have also been used for separating wool while spinning. The object would have been placed in front of a seated person who used the holes to separate two or three strands and then twist them together. Artwork on cylinder seals from Uruk seems to support this hypothesis. Other scholars have suggested they might have been lids for narrow jars or parts of a firedog. What do you think this mysterious object might have been? See a very similar example with its original shiny red paint still visible at the Louvre.
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.
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#175769Minor nicks and abrasions, with small chip to foot, and relatively uniform earthen deposits across most surfaces, otherwise intact and excellent. Great preservation to overall form. Previous inventory label on verso.Condition
- Shipping Info
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