A rare, ancient Urartian bronze belt, dating to the 8th-7th Century BC.
The belt of sheet-like form, with peripheral perforation holes for attachment of original fabric lining, now perished. Decorated throughout with raised ridges and incised geometric decoration of remarkable detail. The original ring-buckle, often lost, is present here.
This belt, almost certainly ceremonial (and not intended for everyday use), would originally have been found in an important Urartian burial, probably adorning the body of a wealthy warrior. Belts such as this are almost exclusive to the ancient civilization of Urartu, who were masters of metalworking.1
Urartu is a fascinating and mysterious civilization, lost from human memory until it was rediscovered in the 1800's. The Urartian culture was located in modern day Eastern Turkey, neighbouring the ancient states of Media and Babylon, with whom they were often at war. They were accomplished artists, metalworkers and builders, with many fortresses discovered near Lake Van, Turkey.2 Their culture was forgotten for millennia, probably as a result of its mysterious, abrupt and complete destruction in the second half of the 7th Century BC. Urartu seems to have been absorbed into the Armenian kingdom and some scholars believe the name Armenia actually derives from the ancient Urartian region of Arme.3
Maximum diameter: 14 3/4 inches.
Thickness of belt: 4 1/4 inches.
Condition: Excellent. Back stabilised, only minor restorations to the edge. Mounted on a custom-made acrylic support.
Provenance: Ex Collection of Axel Guttmann, Berlin; acquired in London in 1995. This rare artifact has been published in Born & Seidl, Schutzwaffen aus Assyrien und Urartu, Vol 4, Sammlung Axel Guttman, 1995 (Mainz), p.158 -159. Copies of relevant pages, which include a detail photo and discussion (in German) will be provided to the purchaser.
References:
1Belt fragment of animals [Eastern Anatolia or Northwestern Iran, Urartian] (52.123)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000?. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/04/waa/ho_52.123.htm (October 2006)
2Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art. "Urartu". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000?. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/urar/hd_urar.htm (October 2004)
3Lang, David Marshall. Armenia: Cradle of Civilization. London: Allen and Unwin, 1970, p. 114.
