This remarkable artifact is a bronze sword that dates back to the 14th and 10th century B.C. It was discovered in the North-Western Asiatic-Caspian Sea area and features a finely cast tapering double-edged blade with a median ridge. At the ricasso, there is a raised penannular panel that adds a unique touch to the sword's design. The grip is integral, with flanges to the edges that make it easy to hold, and each face is hollowed to insert a pair of grip scales...

This exquisite ancient artifact is a bronze sword from the North-Western Asiatic "Amlash" region, which dates back to the 10th-8th century B.C. The sword was discovered in the vicinity of the Caspian Sea area and is a rare find. The intricate design of the hilt is formed of two segments, with the grip featuring a square section. The disk pommel is extended to a conical molding, making it visually striking...

Fine larger figural stone stamp seal of Anatolia or Northern Syria, Ubaid-Uruk period, 4th. millenium BC.

Nice carving in an attractive black serpentine stone, with the typical 'gable' handle, so popular in the Ubaid/Uruk period of Anatolia and Syria.

Size: c. 30 mm...

Interesting and rare gable seal in a scarce oval form and lovely dark red jasper stone, depicting 4-legged animal, probably feline, Levantine or Anatolian 4th. millenium BC.

A very attractive archaic carving and large for the Jasper stone used.

Size: 30 mm...

A nice and interesting large ceramic seal, square seal plate with small knob handle at the back and depicting animals within a square dotted border.

Size: c. 6 cm. wide.

Condition: Very fine.

Ex. Danish Private Collection.

Terracotta bowl enamelled with coper green and manganese yellow ocher on a cream ground, incised decoration of scrolls and stylized flowers. Persia around the year 900 Nichapur kilns. Diameter 27cm. Broken and glued. On the back an English collection label. The style is inspired by Chinese ceramics of the Tang dynasty

Large terracotta bull with prominent horns and a pronounced hump on the back. The holes for the wheel axles on the integrated base are indicative of a child's toy.
Also the small hole at the very front of the base, which was used to attach a pull cord.
Terracotta
Near Eastern, 1st millennium BC
H. 17.1 cm (6.7 in), L. 14.2 cm (5.6 in)
Encrusted and worn, but intact.
Private NYC collection, acquired 1970s-1980s...

One more of the fine large stamp seals from the Oberländer collection. A rare rendering in fine style, Parthia or early Sasanian, 1st.-4th. century AD.

The seal is carved in a beautiful milky-white and agate. The carving shows a seated female, perhaps a woirshipper in fancy cloths.

Size c. 27-28 mm. wide and 22-23 mm...

Seal pendant or amulet, finely carved in a zoomorphic style, as a head of an animal, possibly made to ellude a pigs head, Mesopotamia, Uruk - Jemdet Nasr period, 3500-2900 BC.

A wonderful amulet with refined polished details and a nice archaic grit pattern in the base.

Size: 21-22 mm.

Condition: Extremely fine, highly attractive. Nice patina with deposits...

A large and rare stamp seal made in a superbly mottled black and white diorite stone, South Mesopotamia, Late Uruk / Jemdet Nasr period, 3300-2900 BC.

Domed hemispheric seal with a fine free carving in a drill style of multiple running animals.

Size: 35-36 mm...

Choice bronze seal of bell shape with loop, post-Hittite Kingdoms, most likely Urartu, 1st. millenium BC.

With a fine and interesting engraving in the base.

Size: 23 mm. tall.

Condition: Nice Very Fine, green and red patina.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection between 1985 - 2000s, bought at reputable dealers and from old collections...

Interesting bronze stamp seal of square form with loop, Late Hittite Kingdoms, Levantine, 1st. millenium BC.

A very attractive seal with a square base, decorated sides and a fine and interesting engraving in the base.

Size: 24-25 mm...

Interesting bronze seal of bell shape with loop, Late Hittite Kingdoms or Urartu, 1st. millenium BC.

A lovely seal octagonal and with a fine and interesting engraving in the base...

A fine lot of 5 stone stamp seals of the hemispheric or button-shape in different kind of stones incl. serpentine and chlorite, North/west Mespotamian 5th.-4th. millenium BC.

The seal bases mainly engraved with different cruci- forms, but there's also a much earlier Halaf period seal in this lot.

Size: Up to c. 16-17 mm. in diameters

Condition: Mostly intact and very fine, one seal with a crack, another with smaller losses and wear.

Provenance: Gust...

Wooden panel inlaid with mother-of-pearl, bone and ebony. It must be a piece of a very nice old Ottoman part of furniture. This type of decoration was made from the 16th century in Turkey at the height of the empire and is found today on very rare prestigious furniture. The style, quality and inlays (which are very thick) of this panel should allow a specialist to date it with precision. Length about 25cm. With a lot of luck, maybe this panel will find its original furniture? Otherwise it w...

A collectors lot of 5 stamp seals in different kind of stones incl. serpentine and chlorite, made in semi-autonomous Neo-Hittite states of Syria and Levante, during the Neo-Assyrian period, early 1st. millenium BC.

The seals mostly of the tall pyramid shape, but there's also a 4-side rectangular seal, engraved with symbols on all 4 sides and vertically drilled. Another fine seal is cones-shaped and with a high relief engraving of the base.

Size: Up to 15 mm. max height. ...

A nice study lot of 5 stamp seals in different kind of stones incl. serpentine and marple, made in semi-autonomous Neo-Hittite states of Syria and Levante, during the Neo-Assyrian period, early 1st. millenium BC.

The seals mostly of the tall pyramid shape, but there's also a double-side rectangular seal. The bases and sides engraved with crosses and other symbols.

Size: Up to 17 mm. max height.

Condition: All intact.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1...

Bottle with a long stretched neck harmoniously twisted in the shape of a swan's neck. The glassmaker shaped his work with gadroons, a painter decorated it with golden flowers. This type of object was a teardrop intended to receive the tears of ladies when their husbands went to war. The almond shape of the edge adapts perfectly to the eye. These vases were made from the 18th century and throughout the 19th. especially in 1900. Copies are probably still made. It is impossible for me to date this ...

A lovely and very rare early seal pendant with recessed animal, Northern Mesopotamia, c. 5th.-4th. millenium BC.

Late Halaf period large oval pendant with flat backside and the seal engraved with a four-legged animal, loop at the top.

Size: c. 27 mm. tall.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection between 1985 - 2000s, bought at reputable dealers and from old collections. Gustav Oberländer specialized i...

A fine black stone stamp seal with high relief, Ancient Near East Uruk period, c. 2nd. half of the 4th. millenium BC.

High relief cross with recessed circles in each quadrant.

Reff. See Christies sale of the Erlenmeyer collection 6th. june 1989, lot 208 for a quite similar representation (finds in Tepe Sialkh and Tepe Hissar).

Size: 21-22 mm. in diameter and 11-12 mm. tall.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive a...

Interesting bronze stamp seal, engraved with Lion in the drill style, 9th.-7th. century BC.

A knobbed seal, carved with a vivid Lion in the Neo-Assyrian style but with a likely place of manifacture to the North-East of the Neo-Assyrian Empre.

Size: 19 mm.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection between 1985 - 2000s, bought at reputable dealers and from old collections. Gustav Oberländer specialized in...

An exceptional stamp seal in a fine harder greyish green stone, Anatolia / Northern Syria c. 4th. millenium BC.

The base of the seal is engraved with a fantastic and very graphical depiction of a flock of birds in flight.

A superb Gable seal type with perfect symethri and sharp lines and the impressive size makes it worthy of any collection of early seals.

Size: 60 mm. long and 29 mm. wide.

Condition: Extremely fine, smooth glossy patina with no wear...

A highly unusual bronze seal with a 14,3 cm. projecting handle, Bactria, Hindu-Kush area, c. 3rd. millenium BC.

A very rare design of the handle which suggests that it could have been for heating and perhaps marking lifestock?, interesting and with a beautifuly carved star design of the base. First time in stock ever.

Size: Handle is 14,3 cm. long and 2,5 cm. diameter of the star shaped seal.

Condition: Rough Very fine for type with typical uncleaned vivid gre...

An low oval stone seal of the Cruciform design family, Northern Syria or Mesopotamia, Ubaid / Uruk period, c. 5th.-4th. millenium BC.

A very early seal with low handle and drill in an all black stone with a nice and symethric engraving of an angle-filled cross.

Size: c. 19-20 mm. long

Condition: Nice Very Fine, much smooth wear, but completely intact and attractive.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and import...

A rare substantial rectangular stamp seal with pronounced handle at the back and engraved with a fine 4 parallel panels of Zig-zag patterns, c. 4th. millenium BC, perhaps somewhat earlier.

Size: 24-25 mm. long and 20 mm. wide.

Condition: Good Very Fine, near perfect condition and fine patina.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection between 1985 - 2000s, bought at reputable dealers and from old collectio...

A seldomly offered ancient stamp seal in good condition with a nice Zig-Zag design, South Caspian Sea area, 5th.-4th. millenium BC.

An low oval stone seal carved in a all black stone and with Zig-Zag at the base low drilled handle at the top.

Size: 22 mm. long

Condition: Nice Very Fine, with some fine wear and patina.

Reff. Close parallels to this seal can be found around button seals from the Sialk level III and Tepe Hissar level 1.

Provena...

A nice smaller stamp seal in a fine stone, engraved with a cross-linear grid-like pattern. The fine engraving of the base is a tell-tale for the late manifacture, Levantine, c. 2nd. millenium BC.

Size: 14 mm. The base in fine intact condition the high handle worned through from use.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection between 1985 - 2000s, bought at reputable dealers and from old collections. Gustav Oberlände...

Interesting and unclassified blackstone button stamp seal, carved with cross and pellets, c. 4th. millenium BC.

Probably Mesopotamian or from ancient near east, carved in quite high relief in a nice jet-black stone.

Size: 19-20 mm.

Condition: Near fine, the seal has a fine and intact imprint, with an ancient loss / damage to the upperside of the seal over the loop, which is also intact.

A scarce and seldomly offered ancient stamp seal in good condition with a nice Zig-Zag design, South Caspian Sea area, 5th.-4th. millenium BC.

An low oval stone seal, as peculiar for this type is that it's symethric and does not have a flattened base with a seal engraving as is typical with the earliest seals. Carved in a brownish stone and with Zig-Zag at one side and with a few fainter engraved symbols on the other siden.

Size: 21 mm. in diameter.

Condition: Go...

An low hemispheric stone seal of the Cruciform design family, Anatolia or Syria, Uruk period, c. 3500 BC.

An early seal in a jet black stone with a nice and symethric engraving of an angle-filled cross.

Size: c. 18-19 mm. in diameter.

Condition: Nice Very Fine, much smooth wear, but completely intact and attractive.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection between 1985 - 2000s, bought at repu...

Interesting and beautiful seal made in a very hard high quality shiny mottled green-blue stone. The seal Western Mesopotamia / Levantine 5th-4th. millenium BC.

Interesting archaic desing of the base but note the extremely fine style with multiple crossed lines, which were possible due to choice of stone.

Size: 20 mm. long and c. 13 mm. tall.

Condition: Extremely fine, intact and as good as they come.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberlä...

A fine larger bronze seal with a loop on the back and a strange complicated symbol in the base, Bactria, Rulers of the Hindu Kush, 3rd.-2nd. millenium BC.

Size: c. 30 mm. in diameter.

Condition: Very fine for type with beautiful red and green patina, small ancient chip.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection between 1985 - 2000s, bought at reputable dealers and from old collections. Gustav Oberländer ...

Anatolia, c. 4th.-3rd. millenium BC.

Nice carving in an attractive green-black stone.

Size: 27-28 mm. long.

Condition: Good Fine, with moderate ancient wear and a sharp seal base, ancient chip to the top-side corner.

The seal comes with the original ID-card from below collection.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection between 1985 - 2000s, bought at reputable dealers and from old ...

A very large and lovely round stamp seal with a fine symethric cross or star engraving with confident strokes, c. 4th. millenium BC.

In dark green stone. Halaf style, Mesopotamia, but is likely to be 4th. millenium revival style since it's carved in this low rounded gableform.

Such a large and early seal in good style is rarely seen on the market.

Size: 39-40 mm. in diameter.

Condition: Good Very fine, complete and undamaged, with a nice smooth anc...

A beautiful and scarce stone stamp seal, carved in black serpentine with a high handle, Western Asia, Hittite period, 2nd. millenium BC.

Triangular seal plate, engraved with what looks to be a sort of script or symbols, looks almost Egyptian in the style, but we're not certain and it should be researched some more. Finely made knob handle with piercing

Length: 27 mm. height c. 12 mm.

Condition: Nice Very fine. Even smooth wear and exceptional patina, a really nic...

Hand modeled biconical vase with carefully burnished cream ground.
Decorated in red with loop groups around the body and horizontal bands on the wide cylindrical neck.
The bag shaped body elongates laterally into pointed knob handles. Standing on a flat base.
Shape and decoration are consistent with painted Hacilar I pottery ware. For the shape, cf. fig. 140,7, pp. 412-413 in: J. Mellaart. Excavations at Hacilar. Vol. 1. Edinburgh 1970. For the discussion of Hacilar I pott...