Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Cartonnage The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period, is traditionally  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Cartonnage The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite Period, is traditionally placed by scholars at the end of the Third Intermediate Period or at the beginning of the Late Dynastic Period. In either case, the Saite Period rose from the ashes of a decentralized Egyptian state that had been ravaged by foreign occupation. Supported by the assistance of a powerful family centered in the Delta town of Sais, the Assyrians finally drove the Nubians out of Egypt. At the close of this campaign, Ashurbanipal’s kingdom was at the height of its power; however, due to civil strife back east, he was forced to withdraw his forces from Egypt. Psamtik I, a member of the family from Sais, seized this opportunity to assert his authority over the entire Nile Valley and found his own dynasty, the 26th of Egyptian history. Known as the Saite Period due to the importance of the capital city Sais, the 26th Dynasty, like many before it, sought to emulate the artistic styles of past pharaohs in order to bolster their own claims to power and legitimize their authority.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 21.25" (54.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Wood Although Egypt was timber-scarce, her  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 664 BC to 525 BC Dimensions: 21.25" (54.0cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: 26th Dynasty Medium: Wood Although Egypt was timber-scarce, her artisans availed themselves of an amply supply of quality hard woods in order to satisfy their creative impulses. The cultural horizons of ancient Egypt’s long history are replete with examples of magnificent sculptures in wood ranging in size from the miniature to the colossal and in date from the Old Kingdom to the Roman Imperial Period. The use of wood for funerary furnishings accelerated during the course of the Middle Kingdom when tombs were supplied with coffins and so-called models of daily like, richly painted and minutely detailed. The subsequent New Kingdom continued the use of wood for funerary paraphernalia, best exemplified, perhaps, by the numerous religious figures discovered within the tomb of Tutankhamun, but this period was best known for its wooden sarcophagi. This tradition continued into the Third Intermediate Period when lavishly decorated and varnished wooden coffins were often created as multiples, one resting within the other, as revealed by excavations in Thebes.   « Less

Rhyton in the Form of a Horse - RP.221Origin: Central Asia Circa: 1200 BC to 700 BCDimensions: 8.25" (21.0cm) high x 10" (25.4cm) wide Collection: Near Eastern Art Style:  More »

Rhyton in the Form of a Horse - RP.221Origin: Central Asia Circa: 1200 BC to 700 BCDimensions: 8.25" (21.0cm) high x 10" (25.4cm) wide Collection: Near Eastern Art Style: Amlash/ Luristan Medium: Terracotta Location: UAE   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 525 BC to 332 BC Dimensions: 48" (121.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Period Medium: Painted Wood Our wooden panel doubtless comes from  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 525 BC to 332 BC Dimensions: 48" (121.9cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Late Period Medium: Painted Wood Our wooden panel doubtless comes from a lid of an anthropoid sarcophagus. It is preserved from about the level of the neck to that of the ankles. The decoration is restricted to specific zones, the first of which, at the top, consists of several concentric semi-circles of floral ornaments interspersed with geometric designs intended to recall actual floral collars placed on the deceased. The lowest strand of this collar consists of a row of tear-dropped shaped pendants which frame the principle figural scene depicting a kneeling goddess, facing right, with her wings outstretched as are her arms. Her fisted hands each hold an ostrich feather symbolically representing truth. She is depicted wearing a tightly-fitting garment which leaves her breast exposed, jeweled accessories, and a wig, held in place by a fillet on which is placed a sun disc. There are three panels of hieroglyphs arranged in the field around her, but the signs within each are too imperfectly preserved to afford a continuous English translation. She is separated from the lower section of this lid by a rectangular frame decorated with a metope-like decoration of the same type, but smaller in size, which separates each of the four figures there depicted. These are the Four Sons of Horus, identified by their unmistakable mummiform shape and the stylized mummy bandages which they hold in their hands in front of their bodies. They can be identified from top to bottom, left to right, as the human-headed Imsety and the jackal-headed Duamutef and the baboon-headed Hapy and falcon-headed Qebehsenuef. A single vertical column of hieroglyphs separates these two pairs of figures. It contains the standard funerary prayer, which may be translated as follows, “A boon which pharaoh gives to the god Osiris, foremost the Westerners, the great god, the lord of Abydos, so that the god Osiris might in turn grant an invocation offering of [bread and beer], oxen and fowl, wine…”   « Less

Lapis Sculpture ofa Ram-K.289Origin:Central Asia Circa:3000BCto2000BCCollection: Near Eastern Style: Sumerian Medium: Lapis Lazuli Location:Great Britain

Lapis Sculpture ofa Ram-K.289Origin:Central Asia Circa:3000BCto2000BCCollection: Near Eastern Style: Sumerian Medium: Lapis Lazuli Location:Great Britain   « Less

Alabastron vessel featuring an elongated 'drop-shaped' body tapering upwards into a barely suggested shoulder and a contracted neck terminating into a heavily rimmed lip. Its  More »

Alabastron vessel featuring an elongated 'drop-shaped' body tapering upwards into a barely suggested shoulder and a contracted neck terminating into a heavily rimmed lip. Its vestigial lug handles placed just below the shoulder. A soothing, rhythmic motion in the grain of this alabastron grants it an undecorated simplicity that is extremely calming and aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Dark flowing bands highlight softer creamy waves that form a harmonious natural horizontal pattern in the stone. The alabastron's carving has been perfected to a high degree revealing an unsurpassed natural beauty and technical excellence. despite its size and girth, the vessel has a delicacy that is brought about by the refined articulation of its profile. The dramatic tones and surface patterning enliven the vessel's surface to create a unique work of art.   « Less

Egyptian Silver Figure of a Male Nobility - SP.506 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 4.75" (12.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Late  More »

Egyptian Silver Figure of a Male Nobility - SP.506 Origin: Egypt Circa: 600 BC to 500 BC Dimensions: 4.75" (12.1cm) high Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Late Kingdom Medium: Silver   « Less

Egyptian Steatite Figure - SP.641 Origin: Egypt Circa: 630 BC to 575 BC Dimensions: 3.75" (9.5cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period

Egyptian Steatite Figure - SP.641 Origin: Egypt Circa: 630 BC to 575 BC Dimensions: 3.75" (9.5cm) high Collection: Egyptian Art Style: Late Dynastic Period   « Less

Shaped 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,  More »

Shaped 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 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.0001)Bird Effigy Votive Seal With An Intaglio D.0001Origin:Lake Van,Anatolia Circa:4000BCto3000BCDimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high x 3.25" (8.3cm) wide Collection: Near Eastern Style: Neolithic Medium: Dickite   « Less

Shaped 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,  More »

Shaped 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 thebird,arecurringmotif, 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.0002)Bird Lake Van, Anatolia Circa: 4000 BC to 3000 BCDimensions: 2.25" Neolithic Medium:Dickite   « Less