Lot 48
BABYLONIAN HEMATITE CYLINDER SEAL, ACQUIRED EARLY 20TH CENTURY
NEAR EAST, C. 1900 - 1700 B.C.
Ancient, African & Oceanic Art and Natural History
Auction: 08 July 2026 at 14:00 BST
Description
carved and polished hematite, engraved with a three figure scene showing a worshipper offering a goat to a deity (likely the sun god Shamash), who stands with one foot elevated on a pedestal, accompanied by an old collection note reading “498”
Dimensions
2cm tall
Provenance
From the collection of Dr. Julius Maeder (1900–1973), Switzerland, and thence by descent.
Dr. Maeder, a Swiss lawyer by profession, was also a published author with broad intellectual interests encompassing travel and Japanese art. He formed the greater part of his collection during the 1930s–1950s.