Property from the Collection of the late Antonin and Christiane Besse
Auction Closed
December 7, 04:32 PM GMT
Estimate
5,000 - 8,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Property from the Collection of the late Antonin and Christiane Besse
A South Arabian Alabaster Bull Stele, Qataban
3rd Century B.C./1st Century A.D.
of trapezoidal form, carved in high relief with the head of a bull with ribbed brows, and inserted into a rectangular base engraved with a single line of South Arabic inscription spelling the name of a man (ʾlʿm S¹flyn).
Height 36.2 cm.
reputedly from Beihan, probably from Hayd ibn 'Aqil, the necropolis of ancient Timna'
Antonin Besse (1927-2016) and Christiane Besse (1928-2021), Aden and Paris, acquired in Yemen in 1960, collection number CB60 (recorded for export to France by the Department of Antiquities, Aden State, in April 1967)
by descent to the present owner
Published
Christie's, London, December 16th, 1982, no. 111, illus.
