3 thoughts on “Mandaic incantation bowl up on eBay”
Any plans to buy it? I need to take a closer look at the inscription – it is good that they provided such good pictures.
Of course, I’ve heard stories about “Aramaic bowls” or “Mandaic bowls” marketed to Western visitors interested in them, which turned out to be written in felt tip pen. So it will need a closer look.
I wonder where it was found, and what led the seller to claim that it dates from the 1st-3rd century. Presumably the archaeological context will be impossible to recover.
Have you made contact with the seller? It certainly could be interesting to ask a few questions. If you have already, please do let me know what you have found out so far. If you haven’t, perhaps I’ll see what I can learn.
If only I had the kind of budget to dabble in antiquities. 🙂
Visually, this one seems to check out as I’m able to make out some of the inscription, but without taking the time to translate a larger chunk and viewing it in greater context, it’s not too reliable an indicator.
As for contacting the seller, I’m one step ahead of you. 🙂 I’m currently waiting to hear back from them. From what I was able to dig up about their business they, on the surface, seem legitimate (with lots of good reviews), but at the same time they make some vague claims here and there, like:
“We are proudly affiliated with the world’s largest, oldest, and most respected antiquities dealers , with galleries in New York and London, and a major supplier of museums worldwide. We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every item we sell. Thanks for your business.”
No mention of which dealers or addresses for their galleries. 🙂
On their webpage (aphroditeancientart.com, which I had to hunt down), again, no addresses listed. Only an anonymous contact form listing “Jad Rifai, Director” and the telephone number “718.238.2290.”
Checking their telephone number, I came across their address:
Located in Bay Ridge, huh? I wonder if it would be worth the trip to go see it, or whether they would even be willing to have someone inspect and then purchase it directly, rather than doing it via eBay.
Any plans to buy it? I need to take a closer look at the inscription – it is good that they provided such good pictures.
Of course, I’ve heard stories about “Aramaic bowls” or “Mandaic bowls” marketed to Western visitors interested in them, which turned out to be written in felt tip pen. So it will need a closer look.
I wonder where it was found, and what led the seller to claim that it dates from the 1st-3rd century. Presumably the archaeological context will be impossible to recover.
Have you made contact with the seller? It certainly could be interesting to ask a few questions. If you have already, please do let me know what you have found out so far. If you haven’t, perhaps I’ll see what I can learn.
Thanks again for pointing this out!
If only I had the kind of budget to dabble in antiquities. 🙂
Visually, this one seems to check out as I’m able to make out some of the inscription, but without taking the time to translate a larger chunk and viewing it in greater context, it’s not too reliable an indicator.
As for contacting the seller, I’m one step ahead of you. 🙂 I’m currently waiting to hear back from them. From what I was able to dig up about their business they, on the surface, seem legitimate (with lots of good reviews), but at the same time they make some vague claims here and there, like:
“We are proudly affiliated with the world’s largest, oldest, and most respected antiquities dealers , with galleries in New York and London, and a major supplier of museums worldwide. We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every item we sell. Thanks for your business.”
No mention of which dealers or addresses for their galleries. 🙂
On their webpage (aphroditeancientart.com, which I had to hunt down), again, no addresses listed. Only an anonymous contact form listing “Jad Rifai, Director” and the telephone number “718.238.2290.”
Checking their telephone number, I came across their address:
7415 Narrows Avenue
Brooklyn, NY, 11209
http://members.brooklyndirect.info/p/aphrodite-ancient-art-brooklyn-7415-narrows-avenue/
Which looks residential to me.
Hmmm. 🙂
Anyroads, more later.
Peace,
-Steve
Located in Bay Ridge, huh? I wonder if it would be worth the trip to go see it, or whether they would even be willing to have someone inspect and then purchase it directly, rather than doing it via eBay.
If you hear more, do let me know!