Sumerian

Statuette of a recumbent dog, Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 2050-1780 BC. Blue faience with black details. H 5.5 x W 9.7 cm. Courtesy Galerie Eberwein Accompanied by Art Loss Register certificate S00127419 Provenance: former private collection, France circa 1987 Literature: F. Dunn Friedman, Gifts of the Nile, Ancient Egyptian Faience –Thames and Hudson, London, 1998, p. 160, 149; W. C. Hayes, Sceptre of Egypt I, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1959; J. Bourriau, Pharaohs and Mortals : Egyptian Art in The... [Lire la suite]

Necklace pendants and beads, Old Babylonian, ca. 18th–17th century B.C., Mesopotamia, said to be from Dilbat. Gold. L. 42 in. (3.6 cm); D. of largest medallion 1 3/8 in. (3.6 cm), Fletcher Fund, 1947, 47.1a-h. © 2000–2018 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. These gold pendants and beads exemplify the finest craftsmanship in gold from the ancient Near East, and each represents a deity or the symbol of a deity. The two female figures, wearing horned headdresses and long flounced dresses, probably represent Lama, a protective goddess; the... [Lire la suite]

A Neo Sumerian Copper Foundation Figure of King Ur-Namma. Mesopotamian, Third Dynasty of Ur, ca. 2112–2004 B.C. reign of King Ur-Namma, ca. 2112–2094 B.C.  NEW YORK, NY.- Standing about a foot tall, the small yet monumental “foundation figures” in ancient Mesopotamia were not created to be seen by mortal eyes. Cast in copper and placed beneath the foundation of a building, often a temple, they were intentionally buried from prying humans. Perhaps only intended for the gods, they combine both abstract and natural forms... [Lire la suite]

Shabti of the sedjem-ash Hesymeref, worker at Deir el-Medineh, Egypt, New Kingdom, end 18th Dynasty, circa 1320 BC. Wood. Height 19 cm. Harmakhis galerie at TEFAF 2016 © TEFAF Maastricht, 2015 Provenance:Provenance: Collection Omar Sultan Pacha, Cairo, early 20th century Literature:Published : Aubert, J.-F., Les statuettes funéraires de la collection Omar Pacha in Chronique d’Egypte 50 (101), 1976, p. 62, n° 283 ; Wiese, A. B., Ägypten. Augenblicke der Ewigkeit, Mainz, 1997, pp. 191-2 Composite head of... [Lire la suite]

Sumerian Artifact. A gold bangle possibly worn by a royal princess. (British Museum)

Some of the artifacts seized by the police which were discovered hidden near a shrine, in Nasiriyah, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad. AP Photo/Iraqi Police. BAGHDAD (AP).- Iraqi police on Tuesday seized a small cache of ancient statues and other artifacts in the south of the country that officials said were set to be smuggled abroad and sold. Iraq, home to relics of the world's most ancient urban civilizations, has had its priceless heritage plundered and sold to collectors abroad in the chaotic years... [Lire la suite]

NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's is pleased to announce the sale of Antiquities on June 3, which will offer nearly 200 lots with a particularly strong selection of Roman marbles, including a handsome marble herm bust of Menander and a massive red marble labrum. Other highlights include fine examples of classical Greek vases, both Athenian and South Italian alongside Egyptian and Near Eastern art. A massive Roman red marble (cotanello antico) labrum, circa 2nd-3rd century A.D. (estimate: $300,000-500,000). Photo: Christie´s Images... [Lire la suite]

New York, NY – Yesterday, before a standing-room-only crowd, Sotheby’s sale of Antiquities totalled $8,899,377, exceeding the high estimate of $6.9 million.Richard M. Keresey and Florent Heintz, experts in charge of the sale said, “We were very gratified with the results of today’s sale. Rare objects of great quality and with good provenance sold extremely well, as well in fact as they did in our June sale. The overall total of $8.9 million was nearly identical.” The top ten. An Egyptian Greywacke Figure of a... [Lire la suite]