Late 2nd-early 1st millennium B.C.. With three adjoining bull heads in high relief to the top, with three ears and three horns serving all the three heads; the horns curving towards the rim of the the closed top; the shaft adorned with vertical rows of pointed spikes; hollow socket tube with ring collar at the base. Cf. Mahboubian, H., Art of Ancient Iran, Copper and Bronze, London, 1997, fig.175, p.168, for a very similar type; see also Muscarella, O.W., Bronze and Iron, Ancient Near Eastern Artifacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, no.394, for similar typology; Gorelik, M., Weapons of Ancient East, IV millennium BC-IV century BC, Saint Petersburg, 2003, in Russian, for discussion on maces and for a sceptre with similar head from Elam (plate XXXI, no.85). 349 grams, 14.5 cm (5 3/4 in.).

with a London, UK gallery, 1971-early 2000s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11997-22061.

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