Created during the millennium prior to the age of the biblical patriarchs, this simple but charming vessel glows with the rich patina of history. Who can say through whose  More »

Created during the millennium prior to the age of the biblical patriarchs, this simple but charming vessel glows with the rich patina of history. Who can say through whose hands it might have passed centuries ago? It may have held oil used for anointing people in religious ceremonies, and it was perhaps from a jug similar to this that Abraham would later anoint Isaac in the moment before the angel appeared. Or perhaps it held perfume, purchased as a gift by a loving husband for his wife. Such a vessel would have been a necessity in the ancient world to contain and transport precious oils and unguents for ritual or daily usage. Although its original contents have long disappeared, the energy of those vanished lives is still contained within this vessel. This jug was once a vital, indispensable part of everyday life in the ancient world. Today, it is even more valuable to our modern lives, not as a container, but as a symbol of the past. This jug holds history inside, it reminds us of the lives, the joys and struggles, the triumphs and defeats, of those who came before us. Whose hands might have held it so long ago we can only guess, yet the connection is a direct one between our age and theirs. - (SP.358)   « Less

In the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the favor of  More »

In the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the favor of a powerful deity. Or perhaps it held sauces or condiments to delight the palate and spruce up an otherwise humble meal for a shepherd. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, we cross the bridge of time and set the imagination on a journey of discovery. - (SP.360)   « Less

In the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the favor of  More »

In the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the favor of a powerful deity. Or perhaps it held sauces or condiments to delight the palate and spruce up an otherwise humble meal for a shepherd. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, we cross the bridge of time and set the imagination on a journey of discovery. - (SP.363)   « Less

Neolithic Bird Effigy Votive Seal - D.0063Shaped like an abstract bird, this ancient votive seal was discovered with a cache of similar artifacts along the shores of Lake  More »

Neolithic Bird Effigy Votive Seal - D.0063Shaped like an abstract bird, this ancient votive seal was discovered with a cache of similar artifacts along the shores of Lake Van. Evoking the dawn of Western culture, these apparently were offerings at the shrine of some powerful nature god. The design that adorns them—of birds, animals, seated idols—probably stood in proxy for more costly sacrifices. Pressed into soft clay or wax, they would have created multiple images to win the favor of the god. It is possible that the bird, a recurring motif, was associated with the idea of the soul. Carved with abstract simplicity but an observant eye toward nature, the stark visual appeal of this piece is timeless. These seals represent dreams, hopes and aspirations for health, success, and happiness that are as old as civilization itself. - (D.0063)Neolithic Bird Effigy Votive Seal - D.0063Origin: Lake Van, Anatolia Circa: 4000 BC to 3000 BCDimensions: 3.5"(8.9cm)highx5"(12.7cm)depth Collection: Near Eastern Style: Neolithic Medium: Dickite   « Less

The functional simplicity of this vessel with two handles and a tiny spout lends it a timeless elegance that appeals to contemporary tastes as much as it surely did to  More »

The functional simplicity of this vessel with two handles and a tiny spout lends it a timeless elegance that appeals to contemporary tastes as much as it surely did to ancient ones. Even after the passage of millennia, the design of such a vessel could hardly be improved upon. What did it once contain, we wonder, and who poured from its spout and drank? Did those ancient people stop, as we do, to admire the grace of the vessel as they held it in their hands? We feel in its presence a direct bond with those long-forgotten individuals. - (SP.364)   « Less

This beautiful object may once have been worn as an amulet, the double-headed horses serving to keep watch in both directions. The horse was domesticated in the Near East  More »

This beautiful object may once have been worn as an amulet, the double-headed horses serving to keep watch in both directions. The horse was domesticated in the Near East from the third millennium BC, and the profusion of horse bronzes in Luristan speaks of its important place in that society. Such an amulet seems partly whimsical, partly mystical, a reflection of man's love of this noble creature. - (FZ.072)Luristan Bronze Bicephalous Horse Sculpture - FZ.072Origin: Iran Circa: 900 BCto700BCDimensions:3.75"(9.5cm)high Catalogue:V4Collection:Near Eastern Style: Luristan Medium: Bronze   « Less

Sometime in the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the  More »

Sometime in the millennium before the patriarch Abraham, this elegant vessel might have held an offering of food or drink. It was perhaps left as a votive offering to win the favor of a powerful deity. As we hold it in our hands today, admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the touch of other hands long ago. Who might have held it when it was new? Were the dreams and emotions that guided their lives so very different from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye as it did to the culture that created it. Such artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age, connect us in an intimate way with the world of the past. In its presence, we cross the bridge of time and set the imagination on a journey of discovery. - (SP.369)   « Less

Origin: Jericho Circa: 2700 BC to 2100 BC Dimensions: 5.8" (14.7cm) high x 4.5" 11.4cm) wide Collection: Biblical Style: Early/Middle Bronze Age Medium: Egg Shell

Origin: Jericho Circa: 2700 BC to 2100 BC Dimensions: 5.8" (14.7cm) high x 4.5" 11.4cm) wide Collection: Biblical Style: Early/Middle Bronze Age Medium: Egg Shell   « Less

Art, at its peak, captures the very essence of some quality in our lives. The artist of this masterpiece has captured in vivid dynamism, the very spirit of animal motion.  More »

Art, at its peak, captures the very essence of some quality in our lives. The artist of this masterpiece has captured in vivid dynamism, the very spirit of animal motion. Their limbs outstretched, muscles rippling- these twin gazelles are the picture of athleticism and energy. The dramatic sweep of their horns, the length of their stretching bodies, and the wind blowing on their beards come together to create a piece exceptional in its activity, and the grace of its execution. The duality and perfect symmetry of the piece gives the action of the gazelles a very human element. Every muscular force in the human body comes in pairs, and the twin gazelles remind us of the locomotion of our legs or the push of our arms. The elegance of our form comes from the unity of our motion, and the artist of this work understood this on the most intimate of levels. In seeing these gazelles, we are thrilled with the exceptional craft of their movement, and are intrinsically fascinated with their zealous grace. The ring between them perhaps would have held a pennant pole, a standard that would have identified a group of warriors or a tribe on the field of battle. It would make sense for warriors to wish the spirit and energy of these gazelles infused into its standard. Whether the hooves of these gazelles ever mingled with those of cavalry horses, or sat more ornamentally in the home of noble, they remain a striking display of movement and human artistry. Today, they inspire and invigorate our bodies and hearts with all of the intensity of gazelle, leaping across the sun-drenched plain. This charming object has a graceful beauty drawn from nature. Two gazelles with curved horns stand heraldically erect, as if nibbling at the lower branches of a tree. The ring between them perhaps would have held a pennant pole, a standard that would have identified a group of warriors or a tribe on the field of battle. Whatever its original function, it comes down to us today as an artwork of infinite delicacy and lively humor. - (FZ.085)Luristan Sculpture of Two Rampant Gazelles-FZ.085Origin:Iran Circa:900BCto600BCDimensions:4.25"(10.8cm)high Catalogue:V1ollection: Near Eastern Style: Luristan Medium: Bronze   « Less

In Israel, as in other ancient nations, it was customary to dedicate persons or objects to sacred use by anointing them with oil. Thus Samuel anointed Saul king, as Moses had  More »

In Israel, as in other ancient nations, it was customary to dedicate persons or objects to sacred use by anointing them with oil. Thus Samuel anointed Saul king, as Moses had hallowed the tabernacle and Aaron the High Priest before, and Abraham had sanctified Isaac. A vessel such as this--simple but elegant--may have contained oil for ritual use. Whose hands might have held it so long ago we can only guess, yet the connection is a direct one between our age and theirs. - (P.0127)   « Less