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

Origin: Egypt Circa: 700 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 8.125" (20.6cm) high x 4.25" (10.8cm) wide Catalogue: V29 Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium:  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 700 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 8.125" (20.6cm) high x 4.25" (10.8cm) wide Catalogue: V29 Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Dynastic Period Medium: Bronze This exceptionally large and well-preserved depiction of Osiris, god of the Hereafter, was hollow cast via the lost wax method and incrusted with a variety of secondary inlays. The god is depicted in his traditional, mummiform pose enveloped in a shroud from which his arms protrude. These are crossed at the wrists over his chest, with his hands holding a crook and flail respectively. These attributes suggest that the origins of Osiris lay in the agricultural and pastoral pursuits of the early ancient Egyptians who used the flail to thresh grain and the crook to shepherd their flocks. He wears the White Crown of Upper Egypt which is fronted by a uraeus, or sacred cobra. These serpents were believed not to have eye lids and were employed as eternal, vigilant protectors of gods and kings because the Egyptians believed that they never closed their eyes to sleep. Osiris is also shown wearing a false beard, generally identified as that of a goat because the ancient Egyptians, like the Greeks and Romans after them, believe that the goat was one of the most sexually prolific of animals. This characteristic enabled Osiris to know Isis posthumously, fathering their son, Horus. In like manner, that characteristic enabled the deceased, identified with Osiris, to be resurrected in the Hereafter on the model of human procreation.   « 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

Origin: Egypt Circa: 3 rd Century AD to 4 th Century AD Dimensions: 29.5" (74.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Romano-Egyptian Medium: Paint on Linen The ancient  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 3 rd Century AD to 4 th Century AD Dimensions: 29.5" (74.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Romano-Egyptian Medium: Paint on Linen The ancient Egyptians pioneered the practice of painting on linen because flax, from which linen is woven, lacks mordents to which dyes can adhere. It is for that reason that most of the clothing depicted in ancient Egyptian art is white, the colour of un-dyed linen. In order to compensate for this lack of mordents, the Egyptians as early as the Pre-Dynastic Period (about 3200 BC) began the practice of painting on linen, paint taking the place of dye. By the time of the Roman Imperial Period this long- established practice was employed for the decoration of funerary shrouds, of which ours is an outstanding example. Our subject is an elite woman depicted wearing two garments. The first is a lavender coloured tunic, over both shoulders of which is draped a darker, purple- coloured shawl. The colours chosen are intentional marks of her status within society because during the Roman Imperial Period, purple was generally reserved for the clothing of the reigning emperor and members of his immediate family. Living in Egypt, this anonymous matron could wear the imperial purple with impunity. Her accessories include a pearl-like necklace which slips beneath the neckline of her tunic and elaborate earrings which are accurate depictions of actual earrings known to have been worn during this period. Her hair is deceptively arranged. It is not cut short, but is rather looped loosely around her ears and drawn up and tied at the back of her neck.   « 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

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1333 BC to 1323 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: 18th Dynasty Medium: Bronze The religious, social, and philosophical upheaval instituted during the  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1333 BC to 1323 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: 18th Dynasty Medium: Bronze The religious, social, and philosophical upheaval instituted during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten was repealed during the reign of the following Pharaoh Tutankhaten. The government abandoned religious center of Tell el-Amarna and Memphis once again became the administrative capital of Ancient Egypt while the royal palace in Thebes was restored. The monotheistic cult of Aten was disbanded and the traditional pantheon of Egyptian gods and goddesses was restored. Likewise, the pharaoh’s name was changed mid-reign from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamen (after the supreme deity Amon Ra). King Tut, as he is popularly referred to today, ruled Egypt from 1361 to 1352 B.C., reigning from the age of only nine until his death at age eighteen. It is likely that the boy-king wielded little actual power, and that the throne was really controlled by the senior officials and military generals who surrounded him. One official in particular, the vizier Ay, would become the next pharaoh following Tut’s early death. Today, Tutankhamen is perhaps the most famous of all Egyptian pharaohs; not for what he achieved in life, but for the treasures that were unearthed in his tomb. In 1922, British archaeologist Howard Carter uncovered the entrance to this tomb which was hidden beneath another tomb a later pharaoh constructed on top of it. The most remarkable aspect of this find was its relatively untouched state of preservation. It appears that the tomb must have been even more difficult for ancient thieves and tomb robbers to find than it was for the archaeologists. Among the hoard of magnificent treasured discovered within was the iconic golden mummy mask of Tutankhamen which remains as emblematic of the glories of Ancient Egypt as the mighty Pyramids themselves.   « 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

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1991 BC to 1786 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle Kingdom; 3rd Int. Period Medium: Basalt Although small in scale,  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1991 BC to 1786 BC Dimensions: 4" (10.2cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle Kingdom; 3rd Int. Period Medium: Basalt Although small in scale, this bust from a statuette is executed with a jewel-like precision. This elite member of Egyptian society is represented with his upper arms at the sides of his torso. That torso is well-modeled in asymmetrical, bi-partition with its pronounced sternal notch intersecting the pectoral muscles of the chest. His navel is designed as a slightly off-centered depression. His face is framed by a traditional and heavy shoulder-length wig which is tucked in behind the ears so that it falls to the chest in triangular points. In keeping with artistic tenets of the period, his ears appear to be disproportionately large in relationship to his head and mimic the relative size of ears on contemporary royal images. His brow is naturalistically rendered without the indication of eye brows and protrudes above deep sockets into which his elongated eyes with their heavy lids have been set. His nose is characterized by wide nostrils over a wide mouth with fleshy lips. Overall, the face gives one the impression of a somewhat corpulent but mature individual whose life experiences have been etched into his countenance. Images such as these have been described as depicting care-worn, concerned officials worrying about the plight of their contemporaries. Their expressions have been compared to the period’s literary compositions which decry corruption and advocate a return to socially-acceptable norms of behavior. These are concerns which strike a familiar chord in our own time and demonstrate, once again, the timelessness of ancient Egyptian art.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2 nd Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 18" (45.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Bronze This large, accomplished  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2 nd Century AD to 3 rd Century AD Dimensions: 18" (45.7cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Roman Period Medium: Bronze This large, accomplished figure was hollow cast via the lost-wax method. Her eyes were originally inlaid. She is depicted in the contraposto pose, in which the weight of the body is supported by the right leg while the left leg recedes and is moved slightly to the left. Her right arm is bent at the elbow and is held in front of the right side of the hip. The tips of the thumb and index finger meet to form a circle while the remaining fingers of that hand are spread. The circular form suggests that she was holding an attribute now lost in that hand. Her accessories include sandals laced high up on the ankle, an armlet and a broad collar from which is suspended a cordiform pendant. The pendant may be a heart amulet. An elaborate foliate headdress rising from a tiara-like base completes her accessories. The predominant form of the floral elements of the headdress are palmettes while the tiara-like base is fronted by an uraeus, the sacred, protecting cobra of ancient Egypt, over which, in the centre of the foliate elements, is a miniature composite element consisting of double ostrich feather plumes and a sun disc. Her long hair is parted in the center and coiffed in waves over each side of the head with its ends formed into cork-screw locks, one of their luxurious and sinuous ends resting on each shoulder.   « 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