Antiquities and Ancient Art

Amarna, Ancient Egypt's Place in the Sun Exhibition in Philadelphia

Next weekend, the buzz in Philadelphia will be around the opening of the blockbuster exhibit touring the US: Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia (February 3 to September 30, 2007). (This is the continuation of the event I reviewed during its first stop in LA).  But if you planning to attend Tut, you might also plan your day to take in a complementary exhibition across town at the University of Pennsylvania Museum where the crowds, lines and ticket prices will be considerably smaller.

Tutankhamun, ancient Egypt's most famous pharaoh (ca. 1332 to 1322 BCE), grew up in the royal court at Akhetaten (modern Tell el-Amarna). This royal city, located in a previously uninhabited stretch of desert, existed only a short time. It hardly survived the death of its founder, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun's probable father, who introduced the belief in a single deity, the disk of the sun, called the Aten. The Egyptians abandoned both the new religion and the new city, and Tutankhamun led his people back to the traditional beliefs.

The University of Pennsylvania Museum has a considerable collection of artifacts from this significant period, including many from 1920s excavations of Amarna. And the museum has arranged a complementary exhibition timed to coincide with Tut. The exhibition features more than 100 artifacts, including elegant statues of Tutankhamun and Egyptian gods; a monumental wall relief proclaiming the universal power of the Aten; jewelry and other personal items owned by the royal family; materials from Amarna craft workshops—even amulets of censored gods and goddesses, undoubtedly still secretly revered by their owners. These items serve to tell the story of the rise, and fall, of this unique royal city, the role of Pharaoh Akhenaten in a generation of religious change, and the part that young Tutankhamun played in its rapid reversal.

Scholar Confirms in Court Ancient Patina on Disputed Ossuary Inscription

As we've reported before, the courtroom drama regarding the "James Ossuary" continues to unfold in Israel. According to a knowledgeable party close to the proceedings, "Last week in the court, during the cross examination by Oded Golan's Attorney Mr Bringer, the prosecution's expert, Prof. Yuval Goren admitted that there is ancient patina in at least two letters in the name "Joshua" on the James ossuary inscription, which makes it genuine beyond any doubt."

The circus will be continued on 27th of Feb.

Fragments of Time Publishes 'Ancient Art XLI' for Antiquities Collectors

Ancient Art XLI, a full-color catalogue packed with more than 80 antiquities from the empires of ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome and Persia, is now available from Fragments of Time, a leading international antiquities dealer based outside Boston, MA, USA. 

A complimentary copy or annual subscription is available from the company's website.

"Ancient Art XLI features a diverse selection of important yet affordable ancient masterpieces," said John Ambrose, founder and director. Highlights include:

• Superb 6th Century BC East Greek terracotta kore with almost-shaped eyes, prototypical archaic face and smile, and intricately braided hair;
• Exceptional gorgonion antefix from the Roman Julio-Claudian period with elegant floral patterns and attractive gorgon face
• Pair of bronze cranes (rare depiction) on ancient circular bases both sensitively modeled, dating from 2nd-3rd Century AD.

Fragments of Time publishes catalogues quarterly, and has a constantly changing selection of items on its website. Interested collectors are encouraged to sign up for the company's e-newsletter as well.

New Evidence Supports Authenticity of Ancient Pomegranate at Center of Heated Israeli Dispute

In late 2004, the Israel Antiquities Authority dropped a double-barreled bomb-shell on the country's antiquities community. First, it declared a priceless artifact -- an inscribed vessel dating to the Temple of Yahweh -- a modern forgery. Four days later, The IAA began its public pursuit of four respected collectors/scholars which it claimed were linked to several objects it declared modern forgeries.

The four men have been rigorously fighting their case through the courts in an effort to salvage their reputations. Everyone I have spoken with about the case -- both in the antiquities trade and in academia -- believe the men are innocent of the charges. Most believe the IAA is simply on a crusade to try to destroy the legitimate (and fully licensed) antiquities trade in Israel. They believe the IAA witch hunt is designed to scare away buyers, intimidate dealers, and make an example of the four men.

The scholarly and antiquities community has rallied around the four accused men. Not just because the four are well-respected, but because virtually no independent laboratory or scholar who have examined the declared "modern forgeries" actually believes they are fake. In fact, Biblical Archaeology Review publisher Herschel Hanks offered to buy the vessel at the center of the fire-storm (an inscribed ivory pottery vessel in the shape of a pomegranate dating from the time of Solomon) for $400,000, the same amount paid by the museum to acquire it.

Within the last week, more evidence has emerged from inscription specialists validating the inscribed pomegranate.  The latest issue of the Israel Exploration Journal (Vol 56, No. 2, 2006), features results of two new scholarly studies both exonerating the authenticity of the pomegranate. One report, by Andre Lemaire, concludes "I am fully convinced of the genuineness of the ivory pomegranate, the authenticity of the inscription, and its use in a sacred service of the priest in the Temple of Yahweh. To this effect the epigraphical evidence alone, in my opinion, is absolutely convincing."  The trial of the four men continues.          

Forbes Article Points to Antiquities Market as "Undervalued" ... but Not for Long

A few days ago, on December 27, Forbes Magazine became the latest publication to write extensively about the recent surge in the still undervalued antiquities market.

The article started with an interview with legendary hedge-fund-manager-turned-full-time-philanthropist Michael Steinhardt who has quietly managed to assemble one of the largest and most important antiquities collections in the world. Aside from aesthetic return on investment, Steinhardt believes there is money to be made in antiquities.

The article makes a critical point that most others fail to make: "To be sure, shady characters and illegally obtained objects are lurking," says the Forbes article, "but the antiquities market is not dominated by crooks. In fact, it is possible to build a world-class collection of legal, museum-quality pieces for a fraction of what it might cost to build a collection of similar quality in another field, such as Impressionist or contemporary art."

As I have been saying for years, antiquities continue to be considered by insiders in the art world as relatively undervalued and a boon for buyers even at the entry-level end of the market. This is about to change, and the Forbes article briefly touches on this trend.

"Antiquities are considered to be relatively undervalued and only recently have prices begun to climb, much like the newfound popularity of Old Masters a decade ago. In 2000, Sotheby's (nyse: BID - news - people ) sold at auction a marble torso of Eros, the Greek god of love, that had been deaccessioned by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. The low estimate for the 20" tall statue, which dates back to the Roman Imperial period (second half of the 2nd century), was $60,000 to $90,000. It sold to a dealer for a hammer price of $240,000. Four years later, the dealer sold it to a collector in Monte Carlo for $729,000. The current owner was recently offered $1.15 million for the statue," according to Forbes.

Experts believe prices will continue to escalate, with fewer museum-quality objects remaining in private hands. The supply of high-quality pieces is dwindling because many objects have been taken out of circulation--either they have been donated to museums or are no longer allowed to leave their country of origin," the article continues.

Click for the complete Forbes article.