£1,386
Auction: 31 May 2023 at 15:00 BST
cast bronze, the animal shown standing in a state of alertness, with it's elegant curled horns reaching back to the upright ears, the tail raised, accompanied by a bespoke mount
Provenance:
Property of a London collector, acquired 1990s-2000s
Timeline Auctions, London, 3rd September 2019, lot 108
Note:
For a similar example please see: The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 53.47.2
The Metropolitan Museum (2023) describes a similar piece in their collection as follows:
"The ibex was the most widely represented animal in southwestern Arabian art. Ritual ibex hunts were an important feature of the cult practices of the southwestern Arabian kingdoms. Successfully capturing and killing these elusive creatures was believed to secure favors from the gods.
This sculpture may have served as a handle for an incense burner similar to one in the Museum’s collection (MMA 49.71.2). From the middle of the first millennium B.C. until the sixth century A.D., the kingdoms of southwestern Arabia gained considerable wealth and power through their control of the trade in incense between Arabia and the lands of the Mediterranean seacoast. Frankincense and myrrh, gum resins that are native to southern Arabia, were widely valued in the ancient world for the preparation of incense, perfumes, cosmetics, and medicines, as well as for use in religious and funerary ceremonies."