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AN ALABASTER FIGURE OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS ENHEDUANNA, NEO-SUMERIAN UR III DYNASTY STYLE
奥地利
12月16日 晚上6点 开拍 /6天17小时
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Description

AN ALABASTER FIGURE OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS ENHEDUANNA, NEO-SUMERIAN UR III DYNASTY STYLE

Expert’s note: While an ancient origin remains possible, if not likely—especially in light of the condition report—the piece cannot be dated with certainty due to the absence of precise comparative material.

Mesopotamia (present-day Southern Iraq). Superbly carved in the round, seated on a throne with hands clasped in a gesture of prayer at the chest, while holding a pair of small tablets. The figure clad in a long, loose-fitting priestly robe, meticulously incised with a linear pattern, revealing only her bare feet. The graceful face, serene in expression, characterized by almond-shaped eyes, a slender nose, and full lips, framed by short hair neatly combed and secured beneath a distinctive flat headgear. The translucent stone of a whitish hue, with russet veining and natural inclusions.

Provenance: The collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Dr. István Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age, with ancient wear and natural age-related imperfections, including fissures, some of which have developed into small hairlines, and inclusions. Distinct traces of weathering. Small losses. Occasional minute nicks and few small chips to the nose and around the headgear. The alabaster surface with areas of soil encrustation, mostly to the back.

Weight: 3,117 g
Dimensions: Height 21.8 cm

The present figure represents the renowned high priestess Enheduanna, daughter of Akkadian king Sargon (c. 2334-2279 BC), who consolidated most of Mesopotamia under his authority and established the foundations for the first empire in human history, the Akkadian Empire. Sargon designated his daughter high priestess of the moon god Nanna in the Sumerian city-state Ur as part of a strategy to legitimize and consolidate his newly established imperial dominion.

Enheduanna is further distinguished as the earliest named author in recorded history. While authorship in ancient Mesopotamian literature generally remains anonymous, she explicitly identifies herself in two extant works, The Exaltation of Inanna and A Hymn to Inanna. The former contains remarkable autobiographical elements, presenting herself primarily in the role of a mother and thereby elevating the notion of motherhood, which in her cultural context extended beyond biological parenthood to include the care provided by wet nurses, midwives, and both human and divine maternal figures.

In addition to her extraordinary literary achievements, several artworks reference her name or likeness. Chief among these is a disk-shaped alabaster plaque, dedicated to a temple in commemoration of its construction, in which Enheduanna is prominently depicted at the center of the composition. On this plaque, the high priestess is shown with a headgear and coiffure strikingly similar to those observed in the present lot.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related alabaster seated female figure with a tablet, Mesopotamia, Neo-Sumerian, Ur III dynasty, c. 2112-2004 BC, 11.6 cm high, in the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin, inventory number VA 04854.. Compare a closely related alabaster seated female figure with an aryballos, Mesopotamia, Akkadian to Neo-Sumerian, c. 2334-2004 BC, 20 cm high, in the Musée du Louvre, inventory number AO 23995.

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拍品估价:2,000 - 4,000 欧元 起拍价格:2,000 欧元  买家佣金: 30.00%

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