Auction Highlights
-
Egyptian Granite Head of a Dignitary
Sold for (Inc. bp): £28,600
Carved with soft facial features and carefully executed cosmetic lines around the eye, earring, and carefully detailed duplex wig with gently wavy curls; likely from the Ramesside Period; mounted on a custom-made stand. -
Etruscan Bronze Statuette of Herakles
Sold for (Inc. bp): £18,200
Modelled in the round with a muscular nude body, his club resting on his shoulder and the hair dressed in rows of tight, close-set curls underneath the Nemean lionskin hood with cloak billowing over his left arm, the paws tied across his chest; mounted on a custom-made display stand. -
Roman Marble Portrait of a Boy as Worshipper of Isis
Sold for (Inc. bp): £17,550
Carved head of a prepubescent worshipper of Isis, with soft facial features, long nose, small downturned mouth, heavy-lidded eyes, the whole giving the face a sombre or mournful appearance; the hair textured to indicate a short cut and combed forward across the scalp, sidelock above the right ear; mounted on a 16th century carved breccia upper body with leather cuirass and pteruges to right shoulder, cloak draped across the shoulders and fastened at the clavicle on the right side with a disc-brooch; socle base; some restoration. -
Larger Than Life-Size Roman Bronze Sandaled Foot
Sold for (Inc. bp): £39,000
Modelled in the round and originally part of a monumental statue, the naturalistic right foot encased in a trochades leather sandal with median reversed tongue secured with side straps and thick looped laces; the thick platform sole slightly curved, toes and nails well defined; mounted on a substantial custom-made display stand. -
Life-Size Roman Marble Sleeping Girl from a Sarcophagus Lid
Sold for (Inc. bp): £20,800
Modelled in the half-round, nude with eyelids half-closed in sleep; a drapery partly covering the head and wrapping around the lower body under the hips; the hairstyle similar to those of the Antonine Dynasty, the peaceful face supported by the hands and the ear pierced to accept an earring; iron reinforcing rod to the feet and the right arm's armilla a later replacement; upper head restored in Parian marble. -
Byzantine Porphyry Relief with Cross Surrounded by Two Birds
Sold for (Inc. bp): £28,600
An imposing panel divided to four sections by a central cross on a stepped pedestal, the lower and upper arm with branch-like extensions; the upper quadrants with a circlet surrounding a palm tree-shaped motif; each lower quadrant with a bird in profile facing back; mounted on a custom-made display stand. -
Carved Marble Memento Mori Skull
Sold for (Inc. bp): £16,900
Carved skull on a short neck with musculature and blood vessels; mandible in place with some teeth in sockets, wisps of hair adhering to the dome of the skull; one zygomatic bone partly absent; square-section socle base. -
'The Kelton' Gandharan Head of a Bodhisattva
Sold for (Inc. bp): £24,700
Carved in the half-round head of a Bodhisattva (probably Maitreya) with fine detailing to the arched brow, aquiline nose, neat moustache and full lips; the eyes heavily lidded, urna to the forehead, long open lobes to the ears; the hair in multi-stranded curling locks gathered into an ushnisha with brow-band below; heavily cleaned, conserved, and mounted on a custom-made stand; supplied with original old wooden base with collector's label: 'Head of Bodhisattva / Fine grain schist / Gandhara, Northwest Pakistan / 4th century'.
-
Chinese Tang Glazed Dish
Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £78
Broad profile with low basal ring. 176 grams, 15.5 cm
Ex W.C. collection, UK. -
Chinese Painted Terracotta Jar
Iron Age, 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
With biconical profile, narrow base, broad mouth with flared rim; bands of painted hatched leaf motifs to shoulder, horizontal lines above; small hole to shoulder. 1 kg, 18.5 cm high
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
West Central Asian Stamp Seal with Quadruped
23rd-20th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
Zoomorphic stamp seal with loop handle to the reverse; accompanied by an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Stamp Seal of Bronze 38x38x12 mm. This bears the shape of the object depicted, with flat face and flat back, on which is mounted a handle of sheet metal with thickened edges. The design, which is compartmented, shows a standing quadruped with big snout and long tail hanging down the back. This comes from west central Asia and dates to c. 2300-2000 B.C. The upper part is bent back and is a little damaged, but generally this is in good condition and is a rare type. The metal is sound.' 26 grams, 41 mm
Ex Signo collection, the property of a West London businessman, formed in the late 1980s-early 1990s; collection number U-17, academically researched and catalogued by the late Professor Lambert in the early 1990s. -
Indus Valley Polychrome Ceramic Vessel Collection with Animals
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £468
Each of the three vessels of carinated form and displaying repainted polychrome geometric and zoomorphic motifs within panels; including one cup with a D-shaped handle. 402 grams total, 65-94 mm
Acquired in England in the 2000s. Ex Everitt collection, acquired by descent 2017. -
West Central Asian Stamp Seal with Eagle
23rd-20th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £247
Zoomorphic seal with V-shaped handle to the reverse; accompanied by an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Stam Seal of Bronze 45.5x38x19 mm. This has the shape of the items depicted, with flat face and flat back with handle of inverted V-shape mounted on it. The design is compartmented but not open-work and is divided into two compartments, one with three projections, the other with two. This comes from west central Asia and dates to c. 2300-2000 B.C. The ends of the projections have slight denting, but otherwise the object is in very good condition. Interpretation of the design is difficult, but each section appears to have one head of an eagle and one set of an eagle's tail feathers, as if two eagles are crossed, but there is still a difficulty with the third head. The design is extremely rare.' 20 grams, 45 mm
Ex Signo collection, the property of a West London businessman, formed in the late 1980s-early 1990s; collection number R-495, academically researched and catalogued by the late Professor Lambert in the early 1990s. -
Gandharan Terracotta Head
2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Modelled in the round with heavily-lidded eyes, wavy hair and ushnisha; Mounted on a custom-made stand. 315 grams total, 97 mm including stand
Acquired in the London art market. Private collection, 1970s. -
Indus Valley and Other Terracotta Vessel Group
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Including a trumpet-shaped funnel, a squat jar with painted concentric circles to the shoulder and a vessel with flared rim and triangular hood with applied ropework decoration. 680 grams total 9.3-11.1 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Indus Valley Terracotta Fertility Idol
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
With bell-shaped ribbed body and squat head; applied brow-ridge, eyes and beaked nose; pointillé detailing to the eyes; arms bowed, hands holding an amphora to the chest. 692 grams, 20.8 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Jade-Coloured Glass Seated Buddha Pendant
19th-20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Modelled in the half-round, Buddha sitting cross-legged with hands folded in his lap; loop above. 8.78 grams, 40 mm
with a London, UK gallery, 1971-early 2000s. -
Indus Valley Mehrgarh Terracotta Jar with Geometric Design
3rd-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Squat in profile with flared mouth and low foot; painted horizontal rings to the equator and neck, geometric panels to the shoulder. 369 grams total, 14 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Mughal Marble Head of a Lion
17th-18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £176
Carved in the round with bulging lentoid eyes, stub ears flanking the mane, open mouth with fearsome teeth detailed in openwork; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 87 grams total, 73 mm high including stand
Private collection, England. -
Gandharan Terracotta Head
2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
With wavy hair and large lentoid eyes, rounded facial features; mounted on a custom-made stand. 292 grams total, 13.1 cm including stand
Acquired in the London art market. Private collection, 1970s.