Archéologie & Antiquiities

Two Roman marble figures of Celtic hounds, Circa 2nd Century A.D.; 74.5 and 68cm high respectively, valued at £2 million. Photo: Bonhams. LONDON.- Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage has placed a temporary export bar on two marble figures of Celtic Hounds carved during the Roman period.The figures, thought to have been completed in the 2nd century AD, are one of two surviving sets from the period and have been valued at £2,000,000 plus VAT. They are at risk of being lost abroad unless a UK buyer can be found.The... [Lire la suite]

  LONDON.- On June 20-21, Pax Romana, the acclaimed London antiquities gallery and boutique auction house headed by Dr. Ivan Bonchev (PhD, University of Oxford), will present The King’s Sale. Traditionally a favorite with its international clientele, the blue-chip event with a royal theme is specifically focused on ancient objects that symbolize the wealth and power vested in reigning monarchs. Absentee and live online bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers. All lots are offered with no reserve and will be... [Lire la suite]

Miniature songbird on a pedestal, burnt bone, 19.2 millimetres long, 5.1 mm wide and 12.5 mm high, Lingjing site, north central Henan province, Palaeolithic period, between 13,800 and 13,000 years ago. PARIS (AFP).- A miniature bird sculpted out of burnt bone in China around 13,500 years ago is the oldest known figurine from East Asia, according to researchers who discovered it in a refuse heap near an archaeological site.The carefully crafted depiction of a songbird on a pedestal -- smaller than an almond kernel -- was... [Lire la suite]

Statue of Prince Gudea with a Vase of Flowing Water (detail), Neo-Sumerian period, about 2120 BC, dolerite. Musée du Louvre, Department of Near Eastern Antiquities, Paris. Gift of Boisgelin, 1967 (de Clercq collection). Image © Scala/Art Resource, NY. LOS ANGELES – The J. Paul Getty Museum presents the most important exhibition of Mesopotamian art ever assembled on the West Coast in Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins, on display March 18 – July 27, 2020 at the Getty Villa Museum. The works of art come from the collection of... [Lire la suite]

A late Bronze Age gold bulla found in the Shropshire Marshes and dated at 3,500 years old. © Trustees of the British Museum/PA Media LONDON.- In May 2018, a metal detectorist in Shropshire made the find of a lifetime: cushioned by peaty soil for 3,000 years was an astonishingly well-preserved gold pendant decorated on all its shimmering surfaces with semi-circles and geometric motifs. One side shows a stylized sun – a rare and hugely significant addition to the art and iconography of Bronze Age Britain. Solar... [Lire la suite]

Statue of King Gudea; dolerite; Tello, Iraq; 2130BC © The Trustees of the British Museum. LONDON.- A new British Museum touring exhibition Ancient Iraq: new discoveries marks the first time that the Museum will tour new Iraq field research in combination with key objects from the Museum’s collection. Exploring the cultural heritage of Iraq through 80 remarkable objects, the exhibition seeks to highlight the challenges of protecting Iraq’s rich and diverse cultural heritage following decades of conflict.This new... [Lire la suite]

Hippopotamus, Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 2050-1780 BC. Indurated limestone (probably from near Esna), 2.7 x 5.8 cm. © Galerie Eberwein. Provenance: private collection, Germany, acquired between 1954 and 1959 in Egypt. Shabti for Nesy-Khonsu, Supreme Chief of the Harem of Amen, Egypt, third Intermediate period, XXIst Dynasty, 1st Cachette Deir el-Bahari, circa 1069-945 BC. Bright blue faience with black details and inscription. H 17.5 cm. © Galerie Eberwein. Provenance: private collection, Rennes, France, acquired in 1960s. ... [Lire la suite]

Portrait of Lucius Caesar (?), Italy, Julio-Claudian period, first half of the 1st century AD. Marble. H 42 cm. © Grusenmeyer-Woliner. Provenance: Peter Lasillo, probably in 1985 or earlier; Sotheby’s, New York, 14 December 1994, n° 92, ill.; Martin Armstrong, acquired from the above sale; Christie’s, New York, 7 December 2011, n° 173, ill.; Axel Vervoordt, Belgium, acquired from the above sale.   GRUSENMEYER - WOLINER, Stand 123b at BRAFA, 26 janvier-2 février 2020

Portrait head of a priest, Egyptian, Late Period, 30th Dynasty. Hard black stone. H 7.8 cm. © Galerie Günter Puhze GMBH. Provenance: private collection of Dr. H. B., Germany, acquired in 1998 from Galerie Günter Puhze, private collection, The Netherlands; private collection, England. Statuette of Venus, Roman, 2nd century AD. Bronze. H 20 cm. © Galerie Günter Puhze GMBH. Provenance: collection of Louis de Clercq (1836-1901), France. Literature: A. de Ridder, Catalogue Collection de Clercq, Tome III, Les Bronzes, Paris, 1904,... [Lire la suite]

Egyptian Kohl vessel in the shape of the god Bes, Ptolemaic period, 332-30 BC. Faience, turquoise-green glaze H 6.2 cm. © Galerie Cybele Provenance: private collection, Paris, 1960. Torso of a youth, Asia Minor, Ionia, Smyrna, Hellenistic period, 3rd century BC. Reddish clay. H 11.5 cm. © Galerie Cybele. Provenance: Lucien Mellerio collection, Paris, 1879-1943. Amphoriskos, Egypt, New Kingdom, 1500 BC. Blue faience. H 10.5 cm. © Galerie Cybele. Provenance: Madeleine Meunier collection (1921-2009), Paris, France, acquired... [Lire la suite]