Antiquities and Ancient Art

'Alexander the Great' on Exhibit at Onassis Center, NY

The Onassis Foundation (USA) earlier this month opened a major exhibition in New York City entitled "Alexander the Great: Treasures from an Epic Era of Hellenism" featuring more than 200 objects, many never before see in public.

At center stage is Alexander, with expressive portraits of him of superb quality from the Athenian Acropolis and the capital city of ancient Macedonia, Pella. A fine bronze statuette from Herculaneum, Italy, shows the king on horseback—in a theatrical moment the horse rears, emphasizing the dramatic action of his master. Golden medallions with amazing depictions of Alexander, Phillip II, and Olympias testify to the rebirth of interest in Alexander in the Roman Empire of the third century a.d.

In addition, the exhibition sheds light on the daily life of the men and women that were Alexander’s people. Weaponry of Alexander's army—already famous in antiquity— such as an original sarissa, a spear five meters in length, introduced by Alexander's father Phillip II; an extensive range of tableware of the Macedonian symposia, and rich dresses, jewellery, and adornments of the Macedonian women provide the setting for a better understanding of Alexander's milieu.

The exhibition closes with unique finds from a recently excavated tomb of Vergina, including gold plates, golden fibulae, and ribbons from the dresses of a deceased "queen" that prefigure the onset of Alexander's era some 150 years later.

Unlike the pending Tut exhibition which is attempting to charge $30 per person, admission to Alexander is FREE and open to the public Monday-Saturday 10am - 6pm. The exhibit runs through April 16, 2005, and is located at the Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Avenue.

The 'James Ossuary' Investigated by 60 Minutes

From 60 Minutes comes the story of the so-called "James Ossuary" and the implications of a forgery conspiracy. The James Ossuary, a 1st century AD limestone sarcophagus made to house remains, matched stylistically those from the period following Christ's death. Suspicions and much scholarly debate swirled around the lighly engraved inscription which claimed the vessel belonged to James, the brother of Jesus Christ, and hence would have been the first known physical artifact directly related to Christ.

I examined the James Ossuary first-hand in Toronto in 2002 and immediately reached a personal conclusion at the time that the inscription seemed odd -- peculiarly crude and insignificant for the importance of the familial connection.

While the story has been known to the trade and widely reported in the art press over the past year, 60 Minutes weighs in with its trademark investigative style.

Click for the 60 Minutes version.

Ten Egyptians Including Top Official to Stand Trial on Smuggling

The Associated Press today reported that ten Egyptians, including three top archaeologists, will stand trial on charges of stealing and smuggling tens of thousands of antiquities.

Prosecutor-General Maher Abdel Wahid also decided to send the chief of Pharaonic antiquities, Sabri Abdel Aziz, to a disciplinary tribunal on charges of negligence of duty, Egypt's Middle East News Agency reported.

A 1983 Egyptian law declared all antiquities not in private collections by that time to be the property of the government and banned their sale or export.

The officials were part of a 'gang' that the government accuses of stealing 57,000 artifacts from antiquity warehouses and smuggling thousands of them abroad. While smuggling is not the answer, surely there is a better way to protect, conserve and share cultural patrimony than by locking it away unpublished and uncared for in the government's 'antiquity warehouses'?

Greek Farmer Plows Up Sulla's Marble Trophy

According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, a farmer plowing his fields near the central Greek town of Orchomenos has stumbled across the marble trophy set up by a victorious Roman general following the defeat of a rebel army over 2,000 years ago, the Ministry of Culture announced yesterday.

A careful excavation turned up a large number of pieces from the monument set up on the 86 BC battlefield by Lucius Cornelius Sulla to celebrate his second victory in quick succession over Archelaos, a general of King Mithridates of Asia Minor. The fragments are in good condition, and experts believe the entire trophy — which originally stood up to 4 meters high — can be restored in situ...

The 86 BC Battle of Orchomenos was fought close to the site of the March of 1311 Battle of the Copaic Plain, in which a Catalan mercenary army destroyed the might of Frankish Athens. The find site is between Orchomenos and Pirgos.  Click for more.

Important Roman Bronze Head Stolen in Australia

Customs agents, dealers, and art police worldwide are on the look-out for a Roman bronze head of a female stolen on Friday, December 10, from a glass cabinet in the Arts Faculty of the Australian National University.

The important head, thought to be a portrait of someone (potentially Octavia or Livia) in the Augustan imperial family, was taken from a locked glass cabinet along with jewelry and some other more minor objects of the same basic period.  There were no signs of forced entry and police are continuing to investigate.

Antiquities Market Continues Pricing Climb as New York Auction Sets Record

The market for quality antiquities remains extremely strong worldwide.  Three key factors are driving prices ever higher: the dwindling supply of quality antiquities; the vital role of provenance for resale; and the weak dollar which has caused an influx of overseas buyers. Evidence was crystal clear from the just concluded Sothebys and Christies auctions which are a bellwether for the overall market.

Sotheby's December 2004 sales of Antiquities brought an outstanding total of $15,152,210, far above the high estimate of $9.4 million*, and the highest total ever for a series of Antiquities sales at Sotheby's. Among the highlights of the two-day series of sales was a Bronze Portrait Head of Ptolemy of Mauretania, Roman Imperial, Julio-Claudian, circa A.D. 5-20, grandson of Antony and Cleopatra and last known descendant of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which surpassed a high estimate of $500,000 to sell for $960,000. The portrait head was included in the various owners sale of Antiquities which totaled $8,190,920, also above the high estimate of $5.7 million.

Midtown rival Christies registered $6.426 million in sales, bringing the total between the firms a staggering $21.6 million. This works out to roughly $21,000 per lot offered. 

Egypt Insists on Big Bucks for Tut's Treasure

It's been 25 years since King Tut's treasure was last in the USA. Ticket prices then averaged $12.

Now, Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, is willing to lend out 130 of more than 5,000 artifacts discovered in Tut's 1323 B.C. tomb at a price.  $30 per head to be exact.

Plans are being finalized now for an exhibition to tour the USA at museums willing to commit to rock-concert-like ticket prices to the Egyptian government. So far, the  Los Angeles County Museum of Art has stepped up and will debut the exhibit on June 16, 2005, and run through Nov. 15. Next on the docket? Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Museum of Art followed by Chicago's Field Museum in May 2006.  A fourth US museum is possible but it won't be the Metropolitan Museum in New York (which did host the 1970s exhibition). The Met is reportedly not wavering from its policy of charging a single admission to the museum and its special exhibits. Despite the crowds that would undoubtedly be drawn to NY, Mr. Hawass apparently views the Met venue as simply not lucrative enough.