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LOT 0249
Large South Arabian Alabaster Standing Figure of a Goddess
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
18 3/4 in. (15.55 kg total, 47.5 cm high including stand).
Modelled in the round figure of a standing deity with textural detailing to the hair, naïve facial features with exaggerated eyes to accept inserts (absent) and slit mouth, gripping hands held out at the chest and one pierced to accept an attribute, knee-length garment, collar or necklace below the throat; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceEx Hans G. collection, Belgium, 1967-1983.
Belgian art market, 1983.
Private German collection of Mrs H., 1985-1993.
with Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, 26 November 2013, no.198 (€40,000-45,000).
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Pierre Bergé & Associés printed catalogue pages (double page spread).
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00119290.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12468-230327.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. for sculptures of the same type and size, see the Louvre, Qatabanian funerary statuette of Ammalay of the Dharah’il clan, inventory no. AO20282, in Calvet, Y., Robin, C., Arabie heureuse, Arabie déserte: les Antiquités arabiques du Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1997, pp.114-115, no. 25; Simpson, S., Queen of Sheba. Treasures from Ancient Yemen, London, 2002, pp.64-65, nos.34-36, statues from Aswan; British Museum, sculpture of a woman from Marib, accession no.1966.0725.1., p.194, no.369; cf. also BM, museum numbers 122005 and 122008, for further similar statuettes.
FootnotesSimilar free-standing statues have been found in the royal cemetery in Aswan (probably Khazinet ed-Darb in the Wādī Markha), and at Hayd ibn Aqil (Timna), in Yemen. They are mainly statuettes from the Yemeni kingdoms of Awsan and Qataban, which developed in the Beihan Valley. They represent rulers or important dignitaries of both reigns.
The statue is remarkable for the detailed treatment of the facial features, hair and dress: the woman is portrayed wearing a long plain dress, similar to the modern futah of Yemenite people. The eyes were originally inlaid with shell set with polished obsidian pupils, giving a life-like effect to the static statuettes.
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LOT 0249
Large South Arabian Alabaster Standing Figure of a Goddess
Sold for (Inc. bp): £54,600
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Western Asiatic Bronze Dagger
3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Featuring a flat leaf-shaped blade, slightly rounded shoulders with curved terminals, square-section handle. 381 grams, 28.8 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This was one of the earliest forms of Western Asiatic daggers, but until the blade was strengthened by thickening or by having a midrib at the centre, and rivets were introduced, it must have often buckled up on impact. However, when compared to the earliest Egyptian types with its short triangular blade, this Asiatic dagger is longer, narrower, and probably more useful as an offensive weapon. -
Large South Arabian Alabaster Standing Figure of a Goddess
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £54,600
Modelled in the round figure of a standing deity with textural detailing to the hair, naïve facial features with exaggerated eyes to accept inserts (absent) and slit mouth, gripping hands held out at the chest and one pierced to accept an attribute, knee-length garment, collar or necklace below the throat; mounted on a custom-made stand. 15.55 kg total, 47.5 cm high including stand
Ex Hans G. collection, Belgium, 1967-1983. Belgian art market, 1983. Private German collection of Mrs H., 1985-1993. with Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris, 26 November 2013, no.198 (€40,000-45,000). Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Pierre Bergé & Associés printed catalogue pages (double page spread). Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00119290. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12468-230327. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Similar free-standing statues have been found in the royal cemetery in Aswan (probably Khazinet ed-Darb in the Wādī Markha), and at Hayd ibn Aqil (Timna), in Yemen. They are mainly statuettes from the Yemeni kingdoms of Awsan and Qataban, which developed in the Beihan Valley. They represent rulers or important dignitaries of both reigns. The statue is remarkable for the detailed treatment of the facial features, hair and dress: the woman is portrayed wearing a long plain dress, similar to the modern futah of Yemenite people. The eyes were originally inlaid with shell set with polished obsidian pupils, giving a life-like effect to the static statuettes. -
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Western Asiatic Terracotta Storage Jar with Procession of Ibexes
Circa 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
Globular with flared rim, horizontal painted bands to the shoulder and equator, wavy line beneath and frieze of ibexes above. 768 grams, 15.7 cm high
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. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The images of the ibex attested as the most ancient figures date back to the discovery of the beakers of Susa ca. 4000 B.C. There are several such beakers in the museums, all coming from the excavations of the prehistoric levels of Susa (later on becoming the Elamite Shushan, modern Shush, Iran). The ibex is portrayed in a non-naturalistic way, with the use of simple shapes, such as triangles. The horns of the goat arch back over itself, forming a circle over its body. The beakers of Susa have the following elements in common: the large ibex image, with exaggerated horns, and figures of wavy lines symbolising water and rain.
