A Sumerian Clay Cuneiform Tablet

Third Dynasty of Ur, Circa 2193-2004 B.C.

Height 4 1/2 inches (11.43 cm).

Property from a Midwest Private Collection

Provenance:

Lawrences Auctioneers, Crewkerne, Somerset, England, Fine Art Sale, 23 October 2020, Lot 1990. [part]

This tablet dating from the third dynasty of Ur is a legal statement before witnesses. A seal was rolled in the blank space across the bottom of the reverse though too little of the tablet remains to identify the subject matter. A full translation is available upon request.

Inspected under UV light and 10x loupe. Areas of encrustation and white deposits in crevices. Lost portion roughly 1/3 from bottom with jagged edge. Remaining portion largely intact with small areas of dents typical of age. Overall in fine and stable condition. See additional images.

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Jacob Coley

Senior Vice President, Head of Department, Antiquities and Ancient Art

[email protected]312 280 1212

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 and Ancient Art

A Sumerian Clay Cuneiform Tablet

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