JOHN CURTIS; a late 18th century verge pair cased pocket watch, the outer case with simulated fern or agate band and centred with an oval vignette of a village church in landscape with bands of gilt stud decoration, the watch with white enamelled dial set with Roman numerals, Arabic minute markers to the quarters and with verge fusee movement signed Jno Curtis, London, 6572, with pierced and engraved balance cock, silver regulator disc and stamped 'ID' to the inside of the case, diameter of dial 3.5cm, diameter of outer case 4.7cm.Additional InformationThe outer case has suffered in some parts, there are three cracks to the border, two around the hinge and one slightly further round. There is a small area of loss around the push button releasing the outer case. Various other small scratches and areas of damage. The enamel dial has an area of approx 5mm x 2mm surface loss around the six marker which is obscuring the Arabic minute mark. Other light scratches to the dial. Movement ticks when wound.
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GEORGE IBKINZIE OF LONDON; an 18th century 18ct gold verge pair cased pocket watch, the outer case fern decorated on a stained horn base with stud decoration throughout enclosing the watch with bull's eye glass above a white enamel dial set with Roman numerals, Arabic minute markers and with beetle and poker hands. The movement signed Geo. Ibkinzie, London 1736, with pierced engraved balance cock and silver regulator disc, square baluster columns and with case hallmarked for London 1767, diameter of dial 3.6cm, diameter of outer case 5cm.Additional InformationThe outer case is in good condition with light surface scratches and some staining, the enamel dial has light surface scratches. The movement ticks when wound. There is an old unsightly solder repair to the stem where it joins the back case not noticeable from the exterior so much but noticeable form the interior, light surface scratches throughout.
MUSSON OF LOUTH; a mid-19th century hallmarked silver pair cased pocket watch, the plain outer case enclosing the watch with domed glass, white enamel chapter ring set with Roman numerals and unusual outer rim inscribed 'Keep me clean and use me well and I to you the truth will tell', the fusee movement inscribed 'B. Musson, Louth 7546', with slow/fast indicator, pierced and engraved masked cock and rounded baluster columns, both inner and outer case hallmarked for London 1864, diameter of dial 4.4cm, diameter of outer case 5.5cm.Additional InformationThe outer case has some tarnishing and some surface scratches, it retains several old watch papers, the watch itself is in good order. Movement ticks when wound. Light surface scratches to the dial and some light tarnishing and very small dents to the case.
A George IV 18ct yellow gold open face pocket watch, the engraved dial set with Roman numerals within two tone gold border set with turquoise roundels and gem stones, even set to the hands, the movement no.6014, with slow/fast indicator and engraved balance cock, the case hallmarked for London 1829 and with matching number to the movement, diameter 4.5cm.Additional InformationIn remarkable condition, very light surface scratches, everything closes tightly, the movement ticks when wound, light scratches to the glass.
NEW ENGLAND WATCH CO; a white metal crown wind skeletonised pocket watch set with Arabic numerals to the dial and with subsidiary seconds dial and glazed front and back, the movement stamped N.E.W.Co, diameter 5.27cm.Additional InformationTicks when wound, the case is unmarked, light surface scratches.
A gun metal cased square section Hebdomas eight day crown wind pocket watch, with Roman numerals to the chapter ring, the hinged case opening and inscribed to the movement 'Spriral Breguet Levees Visibles, 8 Jours', width 5.3cm.Additional InformationSome light rubbing to the case but otherwise ok.
A pair of 20th century Chinese celadon glazed porcelain baluster vases with incised decoration of lotus beneath band of plantain, later converted to lamps with gilt brass fittings, height excluding fitment 33cm (2).Additional InformationGeneral light surface wear to the vases and mounts, some tarnish and discolouration, etc.
A suite of 1960s-1970s chrome and perspex furniture, with glass tops, to include an octagonal dining table, three leather seated chairs, a rectangular side table and a coffee table, on shaped wavy bases (6) Some light surface wear and pitting to the chrome frames, the glass tops of the coffee table and the console table with a few small rim chips. The perspex with some marks and scratching, the colsole base with some white paint splashes.
Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st to 22nd Dynasty, ca. 1070 to 712 BCE. A stunning bust of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, from a composite, hollow-cast bronze figure. The bust shows Osiris with large hands crossed atop the smooth chest and holding his symbolic crook and flail, each with several recessed grooves which at one time held attractive inlays of stone, glass, or precious metals. A multi-stranded broad collar hangs across his chest and presents incised registers of repeating beaded, fretted, and teardrop-form motifs. His stylized placid countenance is defined by almond-shaped eyes with elongated canthi beneath slender brows, a veristic nose and mouth, and large cupped ears, with a fragment of inlaid cornflower-blue glass within the left eye socket, and panels of paste glass as well as traces of gilding along the chin strap and corner of the right eye. Small tabs atop the head allowed for the attachment of a separate crown. Size: 6" W x 7.25" H (15.2 cm x 18.4 cm); 11.7" H (29.7 cm) on included custom stand.For a face of Osiris from a composite statue, preserving similar inlays, please see von Bothmer, et al. "Antiquities from the Collection of Christos G. Bastis." Verlag P. von Zabern, 1987, pp 33-34, no. 9.A stylistically-similar example of a pharaoh as Osiris - with no broad collar, crook and flail, or inlaid glass - hammered for $83,650 at Christie's, New York "The Morven Collection of Ancient Art" auction (sale 1466, June 8, 2004, lot 553): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/an-egyptian-gilt-bronze-bust-of-a-4287596-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=4287596&sid=a61852ac-5eb8-4fa2-9292-b6cc683de83cThis piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 2605, December 5, 2012, lot 126); ex-Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 2232, December 11, 2009, lot 16); ex-Galerie Heinz Herzer, Munich, Germany, acquired in 1978 Condition: This is a fragment of a larger composite figure. Small fissure on back of left shoulder. Original crown and false beard missing. Losses to verso, lower body, inlays on crook and flail, glass and paste glass inlays, and gilding as shown. Softening to incised broad collar and facial details, with fading to gilded areas, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits as well as fabulous green and brown patina throughout. One TL drill hole inside of head. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146163
Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A beautiful jar of a petite size, hand-carved from honey-yellow alabaster with natural white inclusions. The vessel is defined by a conical base, an apple-shaped body with a rounded shoulder, a lightly-grooved neckline, a wide mouth which perhaps at one time held a lid, and a fully drilled-out interior cavity. The Egyptians were master carvers and used the abundant stone deposits in the Nile Valley and the Eastern Sahara to fashion sculptures, vessels, and monumental buildings; the perfect symmetry of this example demonstrates their skill. Special tools were used to drill into and expand the interior cavity, allowing the walls of the vessel to be thin enough that light could pass through the stone. Display stand for photography purposes only. Size: 2.7" W x 2.5" H (6.9 cm x 6.4 cm). Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Original lid missing. Minor abrasions to body and rim, with light encrustations inside cavity, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits within cavity. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146164
Egypt, Ptolemaic to Romano-Egyptian Period, ca. 30 BCE to 2nd century CE. A fabulous and finely-preserved jar which has been meticulously carved from creamy honey-yellow alabaster with bands of natural veining coursing throughout the composition in hues of citrine, caramel, and wheat. The vessel has a slender inverted piriform body, a lightly-rounded shoulder below a rounded rim, and a pair of pierced lug handles with flared lower terminals, all atop a planar base. The interior of the jar was drilled out using progressively finer drill bits and copious amounts of abrasive sand, and the remarkable thinness of the walls enable a bright light to illuminate all of the natural banding within. Size: 4.3" W x 7.8" H (10.9 cm x 19.8 cm). Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, New York, USA; ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, 1980s Condition: Repair and possible restoration to two areas of rim and upper body just beneath rim. Minor abrasions and nicks to body, base, handles, and rim, with light encrustations, and some small excisions. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Old inventory label beneath base. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146582
Egypt, Romano-Egyptian Period, ca. 30 BCE to 2nd century CE. A fine cast-bronze sculpture depicting a large cluster of grapes, of a rough diamond-shaped form with a projecting conical handle, a sloping shoulder, convex faces accentuated with dozens of ovoid grapes in repousse, and an open casting hole on the verso. The grapes exhibited in this example are an important symbol of Bacchus (Greek Dionysus / Dionysos), the god of wine, fertility, and agriculture. A fine example covered in thick layers of green, brown, and russet patina. Size: 4.5" W x 6.2" H (11.4 cm x 15.7 cm); 8.1" H (20.6 cm) on included custom stand.For a strikingly-similar example of a much smaller size, please see the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.80.203.59: https://collections.lacma.org/node/245546 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Repair to protruding handle on top with small fissures and light adhesive residue along break lines. Minor nicks and abrasions to body, shoulder, and handle, with light encrustations within some recessed areas. Nice earthen deposits as well as great patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146690
Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th Dynasty, ca. 664 to 525 BCE. A beautiful mold-formed faience ushabti covered in pale turquoise-hued glaze. The figure stands in mummiform atop an integral rectangular plinth, holds the symbolic pick and hoe in hands crossed atop the smooth chest, and has an incised seed bag draped over the right shoulder. The stern countenance is composed of recessed almond-shaped eyes beneath slender brows, a rigid nose with flared nostrils, pouty lips above a plaited false beard, and cupped ears, all beneath a simple tripartite wig. Both the front and back of the body display a column of inscribed hieroglyphic text, the front reading, "The illuminate, the Osiris, the renep-priest, Horemheb, son of Ankh-pa-khered," and the back reading, "Born to the lady of the house, Ta-khered-en-ta-ihe." Size: 1.2" W x 4" H (3 cm x 10.2 cm); 4.8" H (12.2 cm) on included custom stand.The ancient Egyptians believed that after they died, their spirits would have to work in the "Field of Reeds" owned by the god of the underworld, Osiris. This meant doing agricultural labor - and it was required by all members of society, from workers to pharaohs. During the Pharaonic period, they had become so necessary and elaborate that some tombs contained one worker for every day of the year and thirty-six overseers, each responsible for ten laborers. Workers like these are from that period of enormous proliferation, and are some of our best surviving insights into ancient Egyptian funerary practices. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-private Arizona, USA collection, acquired in the 1980s Condition: Light fading and staining to areas of original glaze pigmentation, light encrustations, and minor abrasions, otherwise intact and near-choice. Light earthen deposits throughout. Inscribed hieroglyphic text is still very clear and legible. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146178
Egypt, Late Dynastic Period, 26th to 31st Dynasty, ca. 664 to 332 BCE. A beautiful mold-formed faience ushabti colored in reflective layers of green and blue-green glaze. The figure stands in mummiform with fused legs atop an integral rectangular plinth, crosses bulbous hands across the chest while grasping the symbolic pick and hoe, and has a small incised seed bag behind the left shoulder. The narrow head boasts almond-shaped eyes beneath thick brows, a broad nose, full lips above a plaited false beard, and cupped ears, all beneath a tripartite wig. Ten lines of inscribed hieroglyphic text wraps around the legs, and a faded cartouche - perhaps that of Pharaoh Ahmose II - is present along the figure's left side. Though untranslated, the text would mention the name of the deceased as well as provide an invocation from Chapter 6 of the Egyptian Book of the Dead (or Book of Going Forth by Day). Size: 1.625" W x 6.5" H (4.1 cm x 16.5 cm); 7.5" H (19 cm) on included custom stand.Ushabti dolls are figures shaped like adult male or female mummies wearing traditional ancient Egyptian headdresses. The ancient Egyptians believed that after they died, their spirits would have to work in the "Field of Reeds" owned by the god of the underworld, Osiris. This meant doing agricultural labor - and it was required by all members of society, from workers to pharaohs. The wealthier nobility in Egyptian society were able to have shabtis made of faience; blue faience was meant to reflect the color of the river Nile both on earth and in the afterlife. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-private Arizona, USA collection, acquired in the 1980s Condition: Minor abrasions to legs, body, and head, with fading to original glaze pigmentation, and softening to some hieroglyphic symbols, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146176
Graeco-Egyptian, ca. 6th to 5th century BCE. Expertly carved from beautiful banded alabaster, an elegant vessel presenting an inverted piriform body rising from an integral spool-shaped pedestal base, with a short, gently flaring neck resolving in a rounded rim, and finally, a goose effigy handle. Look closely and you will see the angular downturned 'neck' and upward gazing goose head with incised eyes and beak. In addition to this marvelous form, the alabaster itself is inherently beautiful - translucent when held to the light so as to present elegant diagonal wavy bands across the body of the vase. Size: 3.75" H (9.5 cm) Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, acquired in the 1970s Condition: Intact and choice! All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146580
Ancient Europe, Northern Italy, Villanovan culture, late Geometric Period, ca. 725 to 700 BCE. A fabulous bronze horse bit comprised of two lengths of copper-silver alloy (20% silver) rods conjoined in the center with fused loops, and with reign rings hanging in the exterior loops. Both cheek pieces are in the form of a standing horse with Geometric characteristics such has a crested mane, a cylindrical snout with a flattened end, bulging eyes, and high-pointed ears, all atop a pair of ringed feet with a sinuous tail on the verso. Atop the hind quarters of the larger horses are smaller colts with nearly-identical characteristics as the larger animals. Fine layers of green, brown, and russet patina have formed across the composition, and the original golden-brown bronze color is visible in some abraded areas. Size: 8.25" W x 3.125" H (21 cm x 7.9 cm); 3.7" H (9.4 cm) on included custom stand; quality of silver in copper-silver alloy: 20%.For a stylistically-similar example, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1977.187.6: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/255590Another stylistically-similar example hammered for $17,625 at Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 9666, June 8, 2001, lot 23): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-villanovan-bronze-horse-bit-circa-8th-7th-2063316-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=2063316&sid=ae46a05e-8e66-40b9-9170-34deabd1f0ed Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Repairs to one outer ring, head of one horse, and tails of both horses, with light resurfacing and adhesive residue along break lines. Loss to ear of one horse, with minor nicks and abrasions to all horses and bit rods, and light encrustations within some recessed areas. Light earthen deposits as well as great green, brown, and russet patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146821
Ancient Greece, Mycenaean, Late Helladic IIIC, ca. 1200 to 1100 BCE. An enormous wheel-thrown pottery storage jug with a narrow circular base, a rotund spherical body with a rounded shoulder, a corseted cylindrical neck with a flat rim, and two pairs of applied handles, one along the shoulder and the other around the midsection. The pale orange-slipped vessel is elegantly decorated with a thick panel of orange-red paint along the lower body which gradually separates into individual rings atop the lower shoulder, forms stripes along the handles, and illustrates concentric arches on the upper shoulder. The neck is adorned with solid orange-red swaths along the exterior and top half of the interior similar to those on the lower body, and the underside of the foot is unadorned. Size: 15.125" W x 14.25" H (38.4 cm x 36.2 cm)This period is so named for the palace at Mycenae, famed in Homeric legend as the opulent seat of King Agamemnon. Excavations at the palace at Mycenae revealed an elite and long-lasting society with a great deal of wealth. This extended to the workshops of artisans who produced pottery like this vessel both for use in Greece and throughout the Mediterranean world; shiploads of similar jars went out as far as the Levant and Spain, carrying oil, wine, and other commodities.A stylistically-similar example hammered for $11,250 at Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 2565, June 8, 2012, lot 56): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/a-mycenaean-pottery-jar-late-helladic-circa-5567196-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5567196&sid=a30f32ad-d52c-461f-a31d-f2fe3a5a566dThis piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Morris Pinto collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1980s Condition: Repair to one large and one small handle, with light restoration, resurfacing, and overpainting along break lines. Minor abrasions and nicks to foot, body, handles, and rim, with fading to original pigmentation, some small excisions, and light encrustations within some recessed areas. Light earthen deposits and manganese blooms throughout. Two TL drill holes: beneath base, and inside of one handle. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146160
Ancient Greece, Cyprus, Late Cypriot III, ca. 1200 to 1050 BCE. A gorgeously preserved, wheel-thrown terracotta amphora with a protruding ring foot, a globular body with a gently rounded shoulder, a corseted neck, a flared, everted rim, and a pair of thick strap handles from the rim to the upper shoulder. The cream-slipped body forms the chromatic ground atop which the black and red-orange pigment is applied in concentric bands around the mid and lower body. The neck and upper shoulder have repeated target-shaped symbols, an extremely popular Cypriot motif during this time period. Further concentric circles decorate the rim. A fine and early example of Cypriot artistry! Size: 15.5" W x 18.25" H (39.4 cm x 46.4 cm)This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Small areas of repair and restoration, mainly around the neck and lower body. This is extremely well done and almost impossible to see, especially from the exterior. Light overpaint along these areas, but overall most of the pigment is original. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146592
Ancient Egypt, Pre-Dynastic Period, Naqada II, ca. 3650 to 3300 BCE. A gorgeous coil-formed Nile silt pottery vessel with a highly-burnished, russet-hued surface made with a thin iron-oxide slip. The vase has an ovoid body which rests gently upon a round yet stable foot, with a deep interior cavity, a lightly-tapering shoulder, and a rolled rim. The upper black-hued portion is comprised of thick carbon deposits formed by administering the top to thick clouds of smoke for extended periods of time in an oxygen-deprived environment. Black-topped vessels originally rose to popularity during the early Naqada I, a culture which inhabited ancient Egypt during its pre-dynastic period. The Naqada were first described by famed archaeologist William Flinders Petrie, however relatively little is known about them except that they were focused around the site of El-Amra in central Egypt, west of the Nile River. Size: 8.1" W x 11.2" H (20.6 cm x 28.4 cm).Pre-Dynastic Egyptian black-top vessels were traditionally made from silt deposits taken from the Nile river due to their abundance in iron and silica. After the pot had dried but before it was fired, it would first be burnished and rubbed smooth with a small stone to create the pinstripe vertical striations still visible today. An iron-rich slip would then be applied just before firing; when placed in an oxygen-rich environment, the elevated temperatures would create the vessels' signature red-orange hue.After the end of the Naqada III period around 3,000 BCE, the use of Nile silt in pottery creations fell out of favor with the Pre-Dynastic Egyptians. This is due to the increase in popularity of marl clay, a newly-discovered material for creating terracotta objects which was easier to shape and enabled firing at far greater temperatures than the highly-porous silt.For a stylistically-similar example, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 15.2.16: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/551844This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase. Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private Mississippi, USA collection; ex-Louis Di Lauro collection, acquired in 2002; ex-Peter Rose collection, (Phoenix, Arizona; New Mexico; and New York, New York, USA), acquired at auction in 1948 Condition: Area of repair and restoration to upper body near shoulder, with stabilization to several fissures, with resurfacing and overpainting along break lines. Small nicks and abrasions to rim, body, and base, with fading to original pigmentation, small excisions along exterior, and light encrustations. Light earthen deposits throughout. Two TL drill holes: one inside rim, and one beneath base. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146342
Ancient Egypt, Predynastic Period, late Naqada II to early Naqada III, ca. 3200 BCE. A lovely and large hand-built pottery vessel of an acorn-shaped form, a rounded shoulder, a deep interior cavity, and a smooth rim, all atop a petite circular base. The recessed groove along the shoulder was used to suspend the jar with a thick cord. The upper body is decorated with five quartets of red-painted vertical stripes atop a yellow-orange ground, and the rim and lower body is unadorned. A fine example from this very early age in Egyptian history! Size: 5" W x 5.2" H (12.7 cm x 13.2 cm).Although there is very little evidence pertaining to kilns that would lead to a better understanding of firing techniques from the Naqada II period, an interesting article written by Masahiro Baba analyzes the pottery produced at Hierakonpolis to propose a reconstruction of these techniques. Find this article entitled, "Pottery production at Hierakonpolis during the Naqada II period: Toward a reconstruction of the firing technique," British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan 13 (2009): 1-23 at https://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/Baba.pdf.For a stylistically-similar example, please see The British Museum, museum number EA30888: https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=148980&partId=1&matcult=15770&sortBy=producerSort&page=1Another stylistically-similar example of a slightly-larger size hammered for $4,375 at Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 2605, December 5, 2012, lot 103): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/an-egyptian-pottery-jar-predynastic-period-naqada-5627905-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5627905&sid=c62aae89-ac04-4103-83db-df81bdd09305 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, acquired in the 1980s Condition: Small chips and minor abrasions to rim and body, with fading to original pigmentation, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146192
Ancient Egypt, Predynastic Period, Naqada II, ca. 3650 to 3300 BCE. A lovely pottery vessel with a highly-burnished, russet hued surface made with a thin iron-oxide slip. The coil-formed Nile silt vessel has a conical body with a flat base, gradually-expanding walls with a rounded shoulder, and a wide mouth with a rolled rim. The black-hued area surrounding the rim is comprised of thick carbon deposits formed by subjecting the top to dense clouds of smoke for extended periods of time in an oxygen-deprived environment. Black-top vessels originally rose to popularity during the early Naqada I, a culture which inhabited ancient Egypt during its predynastic period. The Naqada were first described by famed archaeologist William Flinders Petrie; however, relatively little is known about them except that they were focused around the site of El-Amra in central Egypt, west of the Nile river. Size: 3.85" W x 5.05" H (9.8 cm x 12.8 cm) Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Norman Blankman collection, New York, USA, acquired in 1959 Condition: Small area of repair/restoration on rim. Light surface wear commensurate with age. Overall nice preservation of pigment and form. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146689
Ancient Egypt, Early Dynastic to Old Kingdom, 1st to 6th Dynasty, ca. 3100 to 2181 BCE. An elegant and very early example of impressive Egyptian lapidary skill, a fine banded alabaster cup of a cylindrical form with a flared foot and rim. The pale-yellow alabaster is ringed with beautiful bands of caramel, golden-brown, grey, and citrine hues which illuminate when placed next to a bright light. Cups like this were used more as ceremonial vessels or offerings with votive or funerary contexts in ancient Egypt. Size: 2.125" W x 4.25" H (5.4 cm x 10.8 cm).Alabaster, which is a form of gypsum or calcite, soft to carve and smooth, was quarried along the length of the Nile, from Giza to just south of Luxor, and the Egyptians made its carved forms famous throughout the ancient world. Centuries later, the Greeks made vessels like this out of pottery and painted them white in imitation of the beautiful stone. On this example, as you examine the interior, you can see the grooves left behind from carving and smoothing it into its current form. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, 1980s Condition: Small area of repair to rim. Light abrasions and nicks to foot, body, and rim, with light encrustations across interior cavity. Light earthen deposits throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146581
Ancient Egypt, Pre-Dynastic period, Naqada II, ca. 3400 to 3300 BCE. A beautiful hand-built pottery vessel with a petite, flat base, an acorn-shaped body with a lightly-sloping shoulder, a slender rim surrounding the deep interior cavity, and a pair of pierced lug handles. The composition is covered in pale-orange slip which serves as a nice ground atop which zigzagging and spiraling tendrils of deep vermilion-hued pigment are presented. A fabulous example from this very early period in ancient Egypt. Size: 3" W x 3.6" H (7.6 cm x 9.1 cm); 4" H (10.2 cm) on included custom stand.Although there is very little evidence pertaining to kilns that would lead to a better understanding of firing techniques from the Naqada II period, an interesting article written by Masahiro Baba analyzes the pottery produced at Hierakonpolis to propose a reconstruction of these techniques. See this article entitled, "Pottery production at Hierakonpolis during the Naqada II period: Toward a reconstruction of the firing technique," British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan 13 (2009): 1-23 at https://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/Baba.pdf. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Restoration to a few small areas of rim, with resurfacing and overpainting along new material. Minor abrasions and nicks to rim, body, and base, with overpainting along several areas of red pigment, and light pitting. Light earthen deposits and great traces of original pigmentation throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146819
Ancient Egypt, Pre-Dynastic Period, Naqada II, ca. 3400 to 3200 BCE. A stunning jar of a squat size, hand-carved from mottled dark orange-brown granite with deep burgundy and black inclusions. The vessel sits atop a lightly-rounded but stable base, has a corseted neck which traces up to a flat everted rim, and integral lug handles with horizontally-drilled suspension holes on either side of the apple-shaped body. The interior of the body was drilled out using a series of progressively larger drill bits, and traces of the original drill marks are still visible within. Size: 3.9" W x 3.1" H (9.9 cm x 7.9 cm).In addition to its striking presentation, this jar represents a technological leap forward for the ancient Egyptians. In the early Pre-Dynastic, artisans hollowed out hard stone vessels using hand-held stone borers and abrasive desert sand. Then, during the Naqada II period (ca. 3600 to 3200 BCE), the invention of copper tubes enabled artisans to drill very hard stones (in conjunction with sand as an abrasive) and create more intricate forms or integral details like the lugged handles on this example. However, copper drills only allowed artisans to drill cylindrical items, and so the hollowing out of bulbous vessels like this one still required use of an elongated stone borer in the form of a figure-of-eight.For a stylistically-similar example, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 66.99.200: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/564821 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Dr. Sid Port collection, California, USA, acquired in the 1980s Condition: Small area of repair to rim, with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Abrasions to body, base, rim, and handles, with light encrustations within interior. Nicely polished surface, and light earthen deposits throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146187
Greece, Hellenistic period, ca. late 4th to 2nd century BCE. A charming head, neck, and partial chest of a "grotesque" figure, with a bald head, deeply furrowed brow, giant ears and nose, small eyes, and a mouth in a deep grimace. Small tufts of hair are depicted at the temples. Grotesque depictions from the Hellenistic period are believed to relate to the tradition of New Comedy - the Greek form of situational comedy and comedy of manners, most notably written by Menander, Philemon, and Diphilus. A particular stock character from the New Comedy is Parasite, who according to the Oxford Classical Dictionary, plays this role: "Parasites attach themselves to their social superiors for their own advantage, above all for free meals; in return they flatter or entertain their patron, run errands, and suffer much ill-treatment." We know that they are often depicted as bald, middle-aged, and beardless, usually with a large nose and knitted brow - so this head likely represents this stock character. Size: 3.2" W x 4" H (8.1 cm x 10.2 cm); 6.55" H (16.6 cm) on included custom stand.See a similar, but more crude, example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/252978 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: This is a fragment from a larger sculpture, lost below the shoulders. A small area of the neck has been repaired; otherwise it is in very nice condition, with well preserved details and light deposits on the surface. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146207
Greek, Hellenistic Period, ca. 3rd to 1st century BCE. An incredible example of the beauty and precision of Hellenistic gold work, this is the end of a strap from a diadem, its surface composed of a piece of gold sheet decorated with six bands of woven wires on top and bottom (gold is 92% pure, equivalent to 22K+). Between these are diamonds made of woven wires, with rosettes made of granulations set in their centers. Around the intact, curved end, larger granules form a rounded border. Imagine how this sumptuous item would have looked when worn, pressed against a woman's hair, gleaming in the light of an oil lamp or the sun. Size: 3.75" W x 0.85" H (9.5 cm x 2.2 cm); 1.6" H (4.1 cm) on included custom stand; gold is 92% pure, equivalent to 22K+; total weight: 10.78 gramsThe diadem is one of the oldest and most characteristic articles of women's jewelry that originated in the Greek world. While wreaths and coronets were worn by men as signs of social or political status, and as funerary objects, diadem were worn solely by women, usually strictly for decorative purposes. Numerous examples in gold have been found in necropolises in southern Italy, Macedonia, and on the Black Sea coast, testifying to the great refinement of Greek jewelry-making during the Hellenistic period, and to the widespread diffusion of decorative motifs throughout the Mediterranean basin. Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Shlomo Moussaieff collection, Israel, formed 1948 to 2000, exported with the permit of the Israeli Antiquities Authority Condition: Piece is a fragment as shown, with loss from one end. Form is slightly bent. The granulation that remains is in beautiful condition. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146343
Roman Phoenicia, ca. 1st century BCE. A powerful hollow silver figure, depicting a large lion attacking a bull. The lion is caught in mid-flight, its muscular, athletic body stretched out long and with its front paws wrapped around the head and neck of the bull. The bull collapses to its front, its head thrown back along the lion's side, its back end flying into the air with the force of the lion's leap. The texture of the bull's head and neck as well as the lion's mane are beautifully rendered, adding lifelike details to the figure. The symbolism of power and hunting prowess is unmistakable, and whoever owned this must have held these qualities in high regard. The scene may have been inspired by the frieze of a similar scene at Persepolis. Size: 3.3" W x 0.9" H (8.4 cm x 2.3 cm); 1.4" H (3.6 cm) on included custom stand; 24.8 grams Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: A few small losses/tiny punctures on surface, mainly on underside. Light patina and slight bending to form. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146616
Rome, Imperial Period, late 1st century BCE to 1st century CE. An exquisite, marbled or marvered mosaic glass (also called color band glass) petite bowl of stunning teal, cerulean blue, kelly green, and seafoam green hues. Due to its delicate size, this vessel readily fits into the palm of a human hand. What's more, the aesthetic of the piece boasts beautiful washes of color - akin to Impressionism which French artist's introduced in the mid-19th century - almost 1900 years later. Quite dreamy and beautiful, especially when one holds it to the light! A wonderful example, replete with the finest technique and artistry. Size: 3.875" in diameter x 1.625" H (9.8 cm x 4.1 cm)The mosaic technique oftentimes resulted in glass that the ancient Roman naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder described as possessing "eyes" due to the repeated eyelet motifs across the surface (Pliny, Natural History XXXVI.199 - Loeb translation by D.E.Eichholz (1962), vol. 10, p. 157). This example, however, has a more subtle aesthetic without such canes/eyes, but instead boasting gorgeous washes of color that present in a rather Impressionistic manner - hence the term color band. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Norman Moscowitz collection, Florida, USA, acquired in 2000s; ex-Richard Wagner collection, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, collected in the 1960s. Examined and authenticated by Dr. Sid Goldstein, a leading authority on ancient glass who was with Corning Glass for many years as well as curator at The St. Louis Art Museum Condition: Repaired from about 4 to 6 pieces. Slight pitting and scattered deposits. Still an undeniably fabulous example! All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146586
Ancient Europe, Spain, Iberian Peninsula, ca. 6th to 3rd century CE. A lovely gathering of four cast-bronze figurines from ancient Spain. The smallest figure stands atop delineated legs, has hanging arms, and has a spherical head with faded facial features. The second figure stands with hands held against slender hips and wears a fractured suspension ring as a headdress. The third figure shows a pair of individuals wearing robes and holding small implements in their respective right hands. The tallest figure is nude and presents with a slender body above delineated legs, an erect phallus, one arm bent in front of the chest, and a spherical head boasting minimal facial features and perky ears. All four figures are covered in fine layers of green and brown patina. Size: 1" W x 3.2" H (2.5 cm x 8.1 cm); 3.4" H (8.6 cm) on included custom stand.Iberian statuette examples like this would have been placed in a sanctuary or temple - a change that occurred around the beginning of the later Iberian period, as prior to that votive human figures were placed into burials. This indicates a shift in belief systems, perhaps to a religious understanding where humans interacted directly with the gods rather than going through an intermediary like a priest. Bronze figures are particularly associated with the sanctuaries at Despenaperros and El Cerro de los Santos, while other sites had stone figures. Iberian figures from this period are always either very clearly male or female. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Repair to one arm of smallest and second-smallest figure. Losses to suspension ring of second-smallest figure and left arm of largest figure. All items have softening to some finer details, slight bending to overall form, and light encrustations. Light earthen deposits as well as fine patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146613
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. A special fresco fragment depicting the torso of Venus (Greek Aphrodite), nude save a swath of drapery falling from her shoulder to hips, and posed with her right arm gracefully lifted. The body is naturalistically rendered with supple flesh, perky breasts, navel, and harmonious anatomical ratios. The artist was particularly skilled at creating chiaroscuro light effects to model her curvaceous figure which stands out against the rich red background. This beautiful fresco section is not only set upon a stand but also housed within a black wooden pedestaled display case, faced on both sides with beveled glass. Size: 6.125" W x 4.75" H (15.6 cm x 12.1 cm); 6.625" H (16.8 cm) on included custom stand. Glass-fronted display case measures 3.25" L x 11.375" W x 15" H (8.3 cm x 28.9 cm x 38.1 cm)The ancient fresco technique involved applying saturated pigments into wet lime-rich plaster, and only the wealthiest, most elite Romans adorned their houses with these elaborate wall paintings which required immense skill to create. Art historians have identified four styles of wall painting. This example aligns closest with the Second Pompeiian Style - also known as the architectural style - which was popular during the 1st century BCE. This style was characterized by illusionism whereby the walls were painted with architectural elements framing compositions that fooled the eye into believing they were real via a trompe l'oeil effects. While we cannot see architectural elements given the size of this fragment, the artist of this piece successfully achieved naturalism in the visual imagery via subtle tonal changes, modeling the figure with color and shading, and suggesting depth with foreshortening.Another aspect of Roman wall painting to appreciate are the brilliant colors which contrast with the white hues of surviving ancient marble sculpture. Scholars have demonstrated that classical sculptures were actually originally brightly painted; however, the pigments have worn away over the ages. Thankfully, ancient wall paintings demonstrate the bold coloration that embellished ancient visual culture. What's more, while some of the most impressive artists of the Classical world were painters, sadly, many of their creations were painted on wood panels and have disappeared due to the perishable nature of this material. Thankfully, other forms of Classical art such as vase paintings, mosaics, and even a few fresco fragments like this example - many surviving from Pompeii and Herculaneum buried under the ash of a volcanic eruption in the year 79 CE - have survived the tests of time and can provide a means of understanding ancient painting techniques.Published in P. Grimal & E. Kossakowski, Pompei, Demeures secretes, Paris, 1992, no. 54. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection, acquired at Pierre Berge & Associes, Archeologie auction, Paris, 29 November 2014, lot 264; Published in P. Grimal & E. Kossakowski, Pompei, Demeures secretes, Paris, 1992, no. 54. Condition: A section from a larger fresco. Expected surface wear with scuffs and pigment loss commensurate with age. Edges and verso are not smooth. Mineral deposits scattered across peripheries and verso as well. Pierre Berge & Associes auction house label attached to the stand. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #145986
Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st to early 2nd century CE. A wonderful cast-bronze depiction of a throne with a slight forward lean, the legs with several raised ringlets and terminating with raised discoid bosses atop the rectangular seat, with a tall rectangular back protruding up from behind the seat with a pair of flush bosses near the midsection. Lustrous layers of green and brown patina envelop the composition, and thick earthen deposits create a polychrome presentation. A throne like this example was perhaps created as a votive piece representing the throne of the Roman god Jupiter (Greek Zeus) and was placed in a temple in order for one to receive good fortune. Size: 2.25" W x 4.625" H (5.7 cm x 11.7 cm). Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Slight bending to overall form of back and legs, with light encrustations, and minor abrasions, otherwise intact and very good. Nice earthen deposits as well as great green and brown patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146208
Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom period, 18th to 20th Dynasty, ca. 1550 to 1077 BCE. A stunning ushabti carved from creamy yellow alabaster with natural white, beige, and dark-brown veining creating a ringed effect throughout the composition. The figure is presented standing in mummiform with fused legs, hands crossed atop the chest while holding the symbolic pick and hoe, and with faint traces of an incised seed bag behind the left shoulder. The serene countenance is composed of almond-shaped eyes, a slender nose, thin lips, and smooth cheeks tapering to a rounded chin, all beneath a simple tripartite wig. The front and back of the legs each display a column of inscribed hieroglyphic text that when translated reads, "The illuminate, the Osiris, Iry-Iry, true of voice…" (front); "If I should be called at anytime to do work…" (back). Traces of original black, white, yellow, and orange-red pigment are visible and suggest this figure at one time was brightly painted. Size: 2.4" W x 6.875" H (6.1 cm x 17.5 cm); 7.6" H (19.3 cm) on included custom stand.The ancient Egyptians believed that after they died, their spirits would have to work in the "Field of Reeds" owned by the god of the underworld, Osiris. This meant doing agricultural labor, and it was required by all members of society, from workers to pharaohs. During the Pharaonic period, they had become so necessary and elaborate that some tombs contained one worker for every day of the year and thirty-six overseers, each responsible for ten laborers. Workers like these are from that period of enormous proliferation, and are some of our best surviving insights into ancient Egyptian funerary practices.A stylistically-similar example with incised details hammered for GBP 6,250 ($8,057.50) at Christie's, London, South Kensington Antiquities auction (sale 7207, October 25, 2012, lot 46): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/an-egyptian-alabaster-shabti-new-kingdom-dynasty-5609480-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5609480&sid=4bb0845d-3354-40f5-b2c9-2fb3b77aa2c1 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Norman Blankman collection, New York, New York, USA, purchased in Cairo, Egypt from El Shaer in the 1950s Condition: Losses to feet as shown. Nicks and abrasions to legs, chest, and head, with softening to some finer details and hieroglyphic text, and extensive fading to original pigmentation. Light earthen deposits throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146190
Ancient Egypt, Third Intermediate Period, 21st to 25th Dynasty, ca. 1070 to 712 BCE. A fabulous cast-bronze figure of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, standing in mummiform with fused legs atop an integral rectangular plinth. He holds his signature flagellum and short-handled heka scepter (perhaps indicating Thebes as the figure's place of origin) in offset arms held atop the chest, and has sloping shoulders which trace down to bent elbows. His serene countenance is defined by a broad nose with flared nostrils, pouty lips with indented corners, smooth cheeks, a plaited false beard, and cupped ears, with thin brows surmounting the silvered ovoid eyes. The head is capped with an Atef crown replete with a pair of broad ostrich feathers indicative of the Cult of Osiris, a pair of horizontal spiraling ram horns, and a frontal uraeus. Fine green and brown patina envelops this wonderful example from ancient Egypt! Size: 2.5" W x 10.25" H (6.4 cm x 26 cm); 12.2" H (31 cm) on included custom stand.For a stylistically-similar example from the Late Dynastic Period, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 61.45: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545802A strikingly-similar example of a larger size hammered for $20,315 at Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 1244, June 11, 2003, lot 28): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/an-egyptian-bronze-figure-of-osiris-third-4108080-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=4108080&sid=08caacf6-c84c-416d-8ba0-d211fd786fd7 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Art for Eternity, New York, New York, USA Condition: Small loss to tip of one horn. Minor nicks and abrasions to body, arms, head, and crown, chipping to silvering in eyes, with light softening to some finer details, and extensive wear to legs. Light earthen deposits as well as fabulous green and brown patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146191
Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. A fine mold-formed pottery oil lamp with an incised circular base and a faded planta pedis (maker's mark), sloping walls, a rounded shoulder, a recessed tondo with a small fill hole, and a semicircular wick spout flanked with a pair of curved volutes, all covered in faded brown slip. Within the tondo is a well-preserved Sapphic scene with two nude women on a bed, one on top of the other. While it may seem surprising to modern viewers, erotic themes were frequent motifs on widely-distributed utilitarian Roman pottery items like this one. Sexual activity was viewed by the ancient Romans as a gift from the goddess Venus (Greek Aphrodite) rather than an act of sin. Size: 3.8" L x 2.875" W x 1.125" H (9.7 cm x 7.3 cm x 2.9 cm). Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private Thousand Oaks, California, USA collection Condition: Lengthy but stable fissure around body, with minor nicks and abrasions to base, body, and wick spout, and fading to original pigmentation, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #137822
Rome, Imperial Period, late 1st century BCE to 1st century CE. An exquisite, marbled or marvered (sometimes called color band) mosaic glass petite salt dish of an attractive, simple yet elegant ovoid form with mesmerizing forest and seafoam green hues and tinges of cerulean blue. The piece boasts fascinating eye motifs formed by the conjoined canes of glass as well as beautiful washes of color - quite dreamy and beautiful, especially when one holds it to the light! A wonderful example, replete with the finest technique and artistry. Size: 2" W x .375" H (5.1 cm x 1 cm)Pliny described the eye-like forms of mosaic glass in his Natural History, "Pieces of broken glass can, when heated to a moderate temperature, be stuck together, but that is all. They can never again be completely melted except into globules separate from each other, as happens in the making of the bits of glass sometimes called 'eyes,' and which in some cases have a variety of colors arranged in several different patterns" (Pliny, Natural History XXXVI.199). Look closely and you will see some beautiful "eyes" formed by the canes as described by Pliny. You will also see gorgeous washes of color that present in a rather Impressionistic manner - hence the term color band. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Minute nicks to peripheries with tiny radiating fissures. Nice earthen deposits and root marks. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146059
Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 2nd century CE. A stunning cast-leaded-bronze fulcrum in the shape of an elegant swan head with intricately-incised striations for feathers. The fluted neck has a semicircular groove with slanted sides along the bottom and a head which is turned nearly 180 degrees around to face the verso. The sensitive ovoid eyes are enclosed with heavy lids, the top of the head slightly bulging on the sides, and the enormous beak tapers to a narrow, rounded point above the incised mouth. Fulcrum attachments were placed on the fulcrums, or curved headboards, of the reclining couches that wealthy Greeks and Romans sat on during banquets. Because of the importance of wine consumption to these banquets, fulcrum attachments were usually related to either drunkenness or animals associated with the gods like, for example, the swan. Size: 3.5" W x 3.75" H (8.9 cm x 9.5 cm); 5.7" H (14.5 cm) on included custom stand. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: This is one part of a larger fulcrum. Minor abrasions to neck, base, and head, with light softening to some incised details, and light encrustations within cavity on verso, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits as well as fabulous green and dark-brown patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #141480
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A beautiful hand-carved marble tomb panel of a substantial rectangular form. The obverse side shows the body of a nude man, his muscular upper body, shoulders, and arms shown above an undecorated middle panel save for a delineated set of testes surmounted by a phallus, and a pair of broad feet peek out from beneath the middle panel along the lowest periphery. The stylized head boasts bulging ovoid eyes, a thick nose between grooved nasolabial folds, a rounded chin, and petite ears, all beneath a shaggy coiffure. Size: 11.75" W x 47.5" H (29.8 cm x 120.6 cm). Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-private Pistner Family collection, Florida, USA, acquired in the 1980s Condition: Repaired from two large pieces near the midsection, and areas of face repaired or restored, with small chips and light earthen stabilization material along break lines. Small chips and abrasions to obverse, peripheries, and verso, with softening to some finer details, and encrustations. Nice earthen deposits throughout. Mounted with a pair of modern metal bars on the verso for display purposes. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146256
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. A beautiful jug of a sizable form, free-blown from translucent glass of a soft emerald-green color. The vessel exhibits a uniform apple-shaped body that rests atop a concave base, a rounded shoulder, a shallow indentation encircling the neck base, a squat cylindrical neck with a thick in-folded rim, and a wide trail handle adorned with several pattern-molded vertical grooves. Faint areas of silvery iridescence are scattered across the body, and the handle exhibits gorgeous layers of both silvery and rainbow-hued iridescence. Size: 6.4" W x 6.8" H (16.3 cm x 17.3 cm) Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, New York, USA Condition: Repaired from multiple pieces, with light resurfacing, and adhesive residue along break lines. Small area of restoration to break on lower body. Minor abrasions to body, rim, and handle, with weathering film and encrustations, and some micro-bubbling within glass matrix. Light earthen deposits throughout as well as nice silver and rainbow iridescence. Old inventory label beneath base. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146189
Near East/Holy Land, Palmyra, Roman period, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. A high relief funerary bust, hand-carved from limestone, depicting half of the body of a young man with an inscription. Executed in high relief, the youth is dressed in a himation, with the hands emerging out of the garment. As is typical of the Palmyrene style, the youth has an oval face with large eyes and a hairstyle composed of detailed, snail-like curls arranged in row that end above his protruding ears. The irises of his almond-shaped eyes are incised, and the pupils are drilled. In the background is a curtain held in place by circular knobs against a pair of palm fronds. The stela has a four-line Aramaic inscription to the right of the man's head that retains original red cinnabar pigment in its incised lines. Size: 16" W x 22.5" H (40.6 cm x 57.2 cm)Palmyra was a wealthy city that linked the caravan routes from the Parthian Near East with the Roman mediterranean; the people who lived there during this period largely enjoyed prosperity and were able to adopt eastern and western customs, clothing, and artistic styles, creating a distinctive visual culture unique to the city. We know of this culture today from the large funerary monuments that the Palmyrans built - tower-shaped vaults whose interiors were lined with sculpted limestone reliefs depicting the deceased. Many of these, as this example, had Aramaic inscriptions which gave the name and family history of the dead.See a similar relief in "Zenobia: Il sogno di una regina d'oriente", Milan, 2002, fig. 95, page 84.Published in "Ancient Works: Sculpture, Painting, Mosaics, Glass and Jewelry in Antiquity", Fortuna Fine Arts, 2004, fig. 17. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; Published in "Ancient Works: Sculpture, Painting, Mosaics, Glass and Jewelry in Antiquity", Fortuna Fine Arts, 2004, fig. 17; ex-Frances Artuner collection, Belgium, acquired in the 1960s Condition: Part of the nose and some of the fingers are lost. Edges are slightly ragged. With small scratches, chips, and nicks on the surface commensurate with age. Overall in very nice condition with light deposits and excellent preservation of detail in many areas. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #140182
Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. A gorgeous mold-made, translucent glass bowl of a pale green hue with occasional bands of dark purple-red near the rim. It has a rounded base, gradually-expanding walls decorated with a trio of horizontal wheel-cut striations, and an unpronounced rim that was ground until smooth to the touch. This type of mastoid-shaped vessel was likely used for drinking wine based on the elegant and uncomplicated presentation. A fabulous example from the early Roman Empire! Size: 6.25" W x 3.5" H (15.9 cm x 8.9 cm)Published in "Glasses of Antiquity", Sarah E. Cox and Constantin E. Marinescu, New York, 2002. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-S. K. Heninger Jr. collection, South Carolina, USA 1970s Condition: Intact, with light deposits on the surface. Old collection sticker on interior. This vessel does not possess a pontil mark, indicating that it was mold made rather than free blown. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146576
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. A beautiful and finely-preserved jug formed from nearly-transparent glass of a soft blue-green hue. The form of the jug is defined by a lightly-concave base, an apple-shaped body, a rounded shoulder which tapers inward to form the cylindrical neck, a collared rim with an in-folded lip, and a wide trail handle boasting several vertical ribs which arch between the shoulder and neck just beneath the rim. Though weathering film has developed on the surfaces, this has led to the formation of elegant silvery and rainbow-hued iridescence which nicely complements the vessel's turquoise color. Size: 4.875" W x 5.125" H (12.4 cm x 13 cm). Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-German private collection, 1970s Condition: Minor abrasions to body and rim, with light weathering film, otherwise intact and choice. Light earthen deposits within some recessed areas, and nice silvery and rainbow iridescence throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146572
Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 3rd to 4th century CE. A wonderful bottle of a rotund form, free-blown from translucent glass of a pale honey-yellow hue. The vessel is defined by a spherical body with a concave base and a rough pontil scar, a lightly-corseted neck line beneath a wide funnel-form neck, an indented and out-folded rim, and a quartet of applied trail handles arching between shoulder and rim. Faint areas of attractive silvery iridescence are scattered across the composition and nicely accentuate the vessel's vibrant marigold hues. Lucite display stand for photography purposes only. Size: 3.7" W x 4.25" H (9.4 cm x 10.8 cm). Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Restoration to one handle, with repair to upper terminal of another handle. Minor abrasions to base, body, handles, and rim, with light encrustations and weathering film, and small losses to some upper handle terminals. Scattered areas of faint silver iridescence, and light earthen deposits throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #142884
Roman, Eastern Roman Empire, late Imperial Period, ca. 4th century CE. A fabulous oil lamp of a conical form, free-blown from semi-translucent, pale yellow-green glass. The lamp has a narrow rounded base which gradually expands upward to a lightly-flared rim with a ground-down lip, and four sets of three wheel-cut striations course around the exterior of the body. Though covered in thick encrustations and weathering film, brilliant areas of silvery and rainbow-hued iridescence elegantly accentuate the soft spring hues of this fine example. Size: 3.8" W x 6.75" H (9.7 cm x 17.1 cm); 7.375" H (18.7 cm) on included custom stand.For a stylistically-similar example, please see "Solid Liquid: Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic Glass." Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, 1999, p. 111, fig. 200. Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-private H.G. collection, Rhineland-Palatinate, collected from 1970 to 1999 Condition: Minor chips and abrasions to rim and body, with areas of thick encrustations, and light weathering film, otherwise intact and excellent. Nice earthen deposits as well as wonderful silver and rainbow iridescence throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146339
Ancient Central Europe, Vinca culture, ca. 5700 to 4500 BCE. An incredibly ancient anthropomorphic pottery figurine of a standing female with outstretched arms. Her body is decorated with dark-grey pigment and widens to form a flat base, is also decorated with incised striations along her V-shaped neck line as well as impressed medallions lining her belt, and her wide neck tapers to support a roughly triangular head. The abstract visage presents with semicircular eyes, a protruding nose, and striations along her cheeks and coiffure, and the top of the head is lined with several impressed holes which perhaps held additional ornamentation at one time. Size: 2.4" W x 4.1" H (6.1 cm x 10.4 cm); 4.375" H (11.1 cm) on included custom stand.The Vinca culture flourished from 5500 to 3500 BCE in the territories of what is now Bosnia, Serbia, Romania and Macedonia. It got its name from the present-day village of Vinca, ten kilometers east of Belgrade on the Danube river, where over 150 Vinca settlements have been determined. There is no evidence of war or defenses in the townships, and it appears that the Vinca were a peaceful society combining low-level agriculture with foraging and trade. They produced the first known European examples of a 'proto'-script and were the first people in the world known to smelt copper. They existed in a similar state for almost 2,000 years, following which they appear to have dispersed around the Mediterranean and Aegean. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Professional repair to head and both arms, with light resurfacing along break lines. Minor abrasions and nicks to base, body, and head, with light softening to some finer details. Light earthen deposits throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146826
Northern Europe, Viking or Norse culture, ca. 9th to 11th century CE. A fabulous pendant of a circular form with an integral suspension bar folded behind the verso, shaped from a hammered sheet of silver (87%). The design features applied filigree cords which form a quartet of three-lobed knots, each with additional filigree bulbs within the outer lobes as well as four bulbs along the exterior spaces, all surrounded by a ring of stippling around the circumference. The interior details are accentuated with applied gilding (45% gold; 53% silver), and abraded areas around the gilding suggest the entire obverse face was gilt at one time. Modern necklace strand included. Size (pendant): 1.2" W x 1.375" H (3 cm x 3.5 cm); size (necklace): 22" L (55.9 cm); quality of silver: 87%; quality of gilding: 45% gold, 53% silver; total weight: 4.6 grams. Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection Condition: Strung in modern times and wearable as shown. Silver pendant is ancient, and necklace strand is modern. Slight bending to overall form of pendant, with fading and chipping to gilding, and light softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits as well as great patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146697
Ancient Near East, central Anatolia (Turkey), ca. 2nd millennium BCE. A delightful miniature bronze chariot or wagon, pulled by two solid cast oxen, featuring four large, flat, disc-shaped wheels, a rectangular cart with a hinged shaft ending in an attachment for the oxen. Around the body of the chariot is a small railing/balustrade composed of multiple thin bronze wires fixed together. Similar examples - see the Christie's listing below - show that this item would have once had bronze wires that formed reins. Votive chariots like this one are found throughout the ancient Near East and western Asia from this time period, but the Anatolian ones, in contrast to horse-drawn war chariots found in the Levant and Mesopotamia, are drawn by oxen. Are these farm carts? Do they signify the importance of agricultural production in Anatolian society? Whatever the meaning, this piece was made to be placed into a temple, cache, or tomb as an offering. Size: 7.5" W x 2.45" H (19 cm x 6.2 cm)See a similar example that sold at Christie's in 2014 for GBP 50,000 (approximately $70,000 USD): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/an-anatolian-bronze-chariot-circa-mid-2nd-millennium-5776268-details.aspx Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: The piece is delicate, with some small losses/breaks on the railing on the top of the chariot. Rich, dark patina on surface with light deposits. Oxen are not attached to cart. Wheels still turn easily and the hinge of the yoke is also movable. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146692
Ancient Near East, Anatolia, Syro-Hittite, ca. 2nd millennium BCE. A fine gathering of two rare religious idol figures formed from copper. Each pair of figures stand atop an integral plinth, one bar-shaped and one circular, and both have a larger figure placing their left arm around the smaller figure next to them. The larger figure shows a slender male figure standing next to a shorter female figure, each with grooves incised across their shirts, and the male has his right arm held outward. The smaller pair of figures shows a very tall male figure standing next to a shorter male figure with one arm to his mouth, and the taller figure holds a small tool in his right hand. Each composition is covered in thick layers of citrine, green, and brown patina. Size: 1.75" W x 4.3" H (4.4 cm x 10.9 cm); 4.8" H (12.2 cm) on included custom stand.Bronze votive idols like these are known in a variety of fascinating forms throughout the pre-literate ancient world. From the truly abstract Kilia-type figures that are barely recognizable as human to the exaggerated feminine shapes of so-called "Venus" figures, people in the past, as today, had a clear desire to portray human forms and did not feel constrained by naturalism. There are some repeated motifs: outstretched arms, as on these figures, which researchers have interpreted to mean an act of supplication; similarly, the wide eyes on these figures are an often-repeated characteristic that researchers believe emphasizes that the figures depicted are attentive to the gods. Miniature figures like these seem to be portraying worshippers rather than gods, and we believe that they were small enough that, even though they were made of bronze, ordinary people could have owned them and kept them on home altars. Many people from the ancient Near East are found buried with items like these examples. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Small nicks and abrasions to both sets of figures, with light softening to some finer details, and light encrustations, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits as well as great patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146691
Ancient Near East, northwestern Iran, Luristan, ca. 1100 BCE. A long iron sword with a nearly-flat triangular blade topped with an elaborate handle - a thick guard and flat hilt with what are perhaps abstract ram or ibex forms on either side. Luristan is famous for its bronze work, but its blacksmiths produced some of the oldest-known decorated tools and weaponry in the world. This piece may have been in imitation of the bronze work; hence the incredible handle on this example. This is remarkable because iron is a much less tractable metal to work with compared to bronze, and items like this sword had to be laboriously made from many separate pieces of low-carbon iron. Very few of these iron swords are known to exist. One was found with the lower part of a scabbard; another was inlaid with carnelian. Some of the leather in the scabbards has radiocarbon dates to ca. 1100 BCE, hence the date provided for this sword. Size: 2.8" W x 19.3" H (7.1 cm x 49 cm); 20.5" H (52.1 cm) on included custom stand.It seems that these pieces were made not to be used in battle, but instead to show status or as votive weapons; there is a strong tradition in the ancient Near East of swords and other weapons being associated with the gods. For example, there is a rock carving dating to ca. 1300 BCE from this region that shows a scene of the gods of the Underworld, including one who is holding a sword similar to this one. Similarly, a golden bowl excavated at Hasanlu shows three swords of similar form to this one that are associated with three deities from the Hittite pantheon. Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection Condition: Slight bending to overall form of blade, with small nicks and abrasions to blade, hilt, and pommel, light pitting holes, with light encrustations, and light softening to some finer details, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits as well as fabulous patina throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #146587
Ancient Middle East, South Arabia, Qatabanian culture, ca. 3rd century BCE to 1st century CE. A striking pale yellow-white stone slab, a high-relief funerary stele, with a carved abstract human face presenting an inverted triangular profile, a slender nose between almond-shaped eyes, slender lips, and perky ears, all beneath a tall forehead. The tall, rectangular plaque has flat faces and peripheries, and a three-character name of "Aws," a popular name during this time, inscribed below the face. Lightly-drilled recesses denoting the pupils suggest the eyes were at one time adorned with bright colors, and faint traces of original orange-red pigment are still visible around the peripheries. Size: 7.5" W x 14.875" H (19 cm x 37.8 cm); 18" H (45.7 cm) on included custom stand.The deceased in this part of the world were often represented by anthropomorphic funerary stelae like this one; however, the face is highly stylized and it is doubtful that this is a portrait of a known individual. They have been found in three areas, one of which was the cemetery at Tamna, the capital city of Qataban. The Kingdom of Qataban rose to prominence in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE, because it controlled the trade in frankincense and myrrh, incenses required to be burned at altars during religious rituals further north and west. A haunting and rare artifact, certain to spark conversation, and a reminder of the deeper history of the Middle East.For a stylistically-similar example, please see The British Museum, museum number 1995,0124.1: https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=271702&partId=1&searchText=arabian+ancient&page=1Another stylistically-similar example of a slightly-smaller size hammered for $11,875 at Christie's Special Exhibition Gallery Antiquities auction (sale 2490, December 7, 2011, lot 23): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/a-south-arabian-limestone-pillar-stela-for-5509059-details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5509059&sid=e325e265-8cd6-48be-8023-2e89624dfaa4 Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-private Connecticut, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s; ex-private collection, acquired in the 1930s and 1940s Condition: Losses along edges and bottom as shown. Face is nicely preserved as are the letters at the base. Minor abrasions to obverse, peripheries, and reverse, with fading to original pigmentation. Light earthen deposits throughout. All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #144096
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