3rd millennium BC. A substantial carved limestone figure of a mouflon ram with prominent ribbed horns, lentoid eyes and slit mouth, raised panels to the hips and shoulders. 2.2 kg, 21cm (8 1/4"). From a private US collection, kept in Switzerland in the 1960s; accompanied by a copy of Art Loss Register certificate number S00105756 and by a scholarly note no. TL5318 by Dr Ronald Bonewitz; this lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by AIAD certificate number no.10165-167537. Mouflon is a small feral sheep of Corsica, Sardinia and Cyprus. The mouflon stands about 70 cm (28 inches) at the shoulder and is brown with white underparts. The male has a light, saddle-shaped mark on its back and bears large, downward curving horns with the tips turned outward. The mouflon most likely derives from a domestic sheep of Asia Minor that was introduced to Mediterranean islands some thousands of years ago (perhaps in the Neolithic period), presumably for meat, fur and milk. [a video of this item will be available on Timeline Auctions website.]