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'.
-
Ethiopian Folding Wooden Triptych Icon
Early 17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Portable shrine with painted geometric ornament to the outer face. opening doors to reveal a triptych with central image of Mary Theotokos and Child, Abune Gebre Menfes Kidus with hands raised, nimbate figure with yellow cloak and tau-cross staff. 66 grams, 94 mm high
Acquired in 2000 from a French private collection. Ex central London gallery. -
Post Medieval Walnut Relief Panel Depicting The Victory of Maximilian I and Henry VIII Over the French at The Battle of The Spurs
German or Austrian, 19th century A.D. or earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £6,240
A substantial carved wooden panel with figures in low-relief, representing knights of second half of 16th century A.D. engaged in a deadly battle; the armoured knights depicted facing each other, with the lance couché, trampling over the dead and wounded, while on the background the clash among the infantrymen of the opposed armies can be seen; after the work of Albrecht Dürer and Alexander Colyn, with old typed labels translating to: 'Alexander Colins. Flemish sculptor, born 1526 in Mechelen, died 1617 in Innsbruck. Created important works of art from around 1550 onwards. His sculptures include those at the Heidelberg Castle, the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I in the Court Church in Innsbruck and other important grave monuments.' 2.7 kg, 45 cm wide
Private collection, New York, USA. Ex central London gallery. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12180-221703.
The second battle of Guinegate, or Battle of the Spurs, was an episode of the early 16th century wars (August, 16th 1513), when Henry VIII and the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I surprised and routed a body of French knights under Jacques de la Palice. The Flemish artist represented the victory as one of the main scenes for the imperial grave of Emperor Maximilian I, the sketches for which were made by the well known German sculptor, painter and architect Albrecht Dürer. -
Renaissance Painted Wooden Figure of a Child
16th-17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Carved naturalistically in high-relief in wood, the figure enveloped in the folds of a woman's garment and cradled in her right arm and hand; remains of gesso, gilding and polychrome pigmentation; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 3.3 kg total, 41.5 cm including stand
Acquired on the European art market. Private collection, England. -
Large Wooden Putto
18th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £624
Figure carved in the round with draped cloth to the thighs, wings spread, arms raised and hands open to support a symbol; suspension ring to reverse; repaired. 2.35 kg, 56 cm
Private collection, England. -
Large Wooden Corpus Christi
17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Carved in the round with legs crossed and nail to the feet, hands pierced for attachment; the head tilted with short beard, wearing a loincloth secured by a rope belt; detailed musculature; one thumb absent. 176 grams, 37 cm
Private collection, England. -
Large Renaissance Lime Wood Bas-Relief of The Presentation of Christ to the Temple
Rhineland, circa 1480-1500 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £12,350
The gilt polychrome carving showing Saint Simeon holding the infant Christ in his arms before his circumcision, Saint Simeon wearing a priestly mitre, holding the infant above an altar covered by an embroidered brocade; Virgin Mary to his left gazing at the infant tenderly, veiled and wearing a long robe with gilt decoration; to her left Saint Joseph dressed in a long robe and gilt cloak, holding a carpenter's axe in his left hand; praying Saint Anna to the right of Saint Simeon, wearing a simple dress and veil; to her right Saint Joachim, wearing a yellow cap and gilt cloak; the columns of the Temple of Jerusalem on the background; on a wooden stand. 10.15 kg, 86.5 cm wide
Crait and Muller, 8 June 2021, no.2. Ex central London gallery. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.12181-221704.
The relief shows the parents and relatives of infant Jesus following the Jewish tradition of circumcising young boys eight days after their birth. This iconography is symbolic as, according to the tradition, Saint Anna and Saint Joachim, parents of Mary, died before the birth of Christ. This panel originally would have adorned the interior panels of a large altarpiece, showing the cycle of life of Christ. -
Indus Valley Terracotta Vessel with Geometric Designs
Circa 2200 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £598
Drum-shaped vessel with gently flared rim; painted interlocking geometric patterns to sidewall, low basal ring. 69 grams, 72 mm wide
Joseph G Gerena Fine Art, New York, 27 October 2003. Acquired by the present owner from the above. -
Indus Valley Painted Pottery Bowl
3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
Drum-shaped with gently carinated base and narrow foot, the outer body displaying polychrome painted panels with 'stairway' design. 77 grams, 86 mm
Acquired in 2003. Private collection, Europe. -
Indus Valley Terracotta Vessel with Geometric Designs
Circa 2200 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £585
Drum-shaped in profile with basal ring, band of interlocking concentric rings and other painted cells. 100 grams, 81 mm wide
Joseph G Gerena Fine Art, New York, 27 October 2003. Acquired by the present owner from the above. -
'The Kelton' Gandharan Head of a Bodhisattva
3rd-6th century A.D.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'. 14.3 kg total, 34 cm high
From the private collection of Richard Kelton (1929-2019), California, USA, acquired in November 1982, thence by descent. with Abell Auctions, 25 September 2022, no.422 (£25,000) Acquired by the present owner at the above sale. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12309-222166. -
Gandharan Terracotta Head
2nd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
Modelled in the round with fleshy facial features, arched brows, long earlobes, ushishna above; mounted on a custom-made stand. 307 grams total, 98 mm including stand
Acquired on the London art market. Private collection, 1970s. -
Natural History - Large Sericho Pallasite Meteorite
Found in 2016 A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
A large irregular mass of stony-iron meteorite. 1.33 kg, 13 cm
From Kenya, East Africa. Ex Adrian Contreras Gomez, Spain, IMCA member no.7412. Ex Dean collection; Essex, UK. Accompanied by Adrian Contreras Gomez authenticity identification card.
Sericho pallasite meteorites were found in a 45-kilometer strewn field in eastern Kenya, near the village of Habaswein in 2016, it was officially classified in 2018.