A Babylonian Clay Cuneiform Tablet

Circa 2500 B.C.

Height 8 1/2 inches (21.6 cm).

Property from the Collection of Sumner Schlesinger, California

Provenance:

Joseph Halle Schaffner (1897-1972), Chicago and New York.

Elmer "Pete" Schlesinger (1919-1982), Chicago; thence by descent.

This tablet lists various items in six columns including wood, reeds, leather, and vegetable products.

Inspected under UV light and 10x loupe. Restored from several fragments with large cracks visible. Weathering and losses throughout. Edges jagged. "Top" written in black on back surface. Custom wooden stand accompanies lot. Overall in fine and attractive condition. See attached images.

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Mr. Coley joined the Antiquities department in 2021 after working as Managing Director in the Ancient Art department at Colnaghi, the world’s oldest commercial art gallery, where he helped to establish the Ancient Art department and launched Colnaghi New York in 2017. Prior to Colnaghi, Mr. Coley was in the Greek and Roman Art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Coley holds a B.A. from the University of Miami and an M.A. in Art Market from the Fashion Institute of Technology, and he earned an art-appraisal certificate from New York University.

Antiquities & Ancient Art

A Babylonian Clay Cuneiform Tablet

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