Antiquities and Ancient Art

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. 

UK Archaeologists Confirm First Full Dating of Scottish Bronze Age Site

BREAKING NEWS -- UK Archaeologists announced today that for the first time they have comprehensively dates the contents of an entire Bronze Age site in Scotland.

Nearly 30 cremation pits found during installation of a gas pipeline were excavated.

Archaeologists reported finds that included 10 burial urns containing the cremated remains of children and adults and two pairs of golden eagle talons which had never been found before in sites of this period.  Also found were brooches and bone pins.

They have now dated the remains as belonging to a small community living in the area between 2000 B.C. and 1500 B.C.

New Book Details 10 Years of Archaeological Excavations in Post-War Lebanon

Since Lebanon's bloody Civil War ended 15 years ago, the country has been focused on rebuilding infrastructure. In the process of tearing down old buildings and digging new foundations, archaeological discoveries are being made in this ancient land of the Phoenicians at a rapid pace. 

"Decade - A Decade of Archaeology and History in The Lebanon 1995-2005," edited by Claude Doumet Serhal in collaboration with Annie Rabate and Andrea Resek, contains photographs, maps and detailed essays on numerous historical sights in the country and all the digs that have occurred since the end of the civil war.

"This is the only book that summarizes 10 years of archaeological achievement in this country," explains Serhal, an archaeologist and friend of the National Museum. "It is important because it offers to the general public, for the first time, an idea of what has been achieved in Lebanon's ancient sites since the end of the war.

Twelve major archaeological excavations are documented in "Decade" - Tyre, Tell, Rachidieh, Sidon, Eshmun, Shhim, Beirut, Byblos, Yanuh, Tripoli, Tell Arqa, Hourriye, The Qadisha Valley, and Kamid el-Loz.  Articles are written in English or French by the archaeologists leading them and numerous photographs and illustrations. The essays, while sometimes highly specialized and scientific, try in the end to bring archaeology to a wider public and show, for example, the scientific value of every team and how they used new technologies and computer reconstruction to aid their work.

The 580-page book, which retails at $115, is the culmination of years of work by the Friends of the Museum and the independent journal, "Archaeology and History in the Lebanon" or AHL, set up by the friends and the General Direction of Antiquities in 1997.

For more information.

UK Metal Detector Unearths Viking Burial

LONDON - Archaeologists in northwestern England have found a burial site of six Viking men and women, complete with swords, spears, jewelry, fire-making materials and riding equipment, officials said Monday.

The site, discovered near Cumwhitton, is believed to date to the early 10th century, and archaeologists working there called it the first Viking burial ground found in Britain.

The only other known Viking cemetery was found in Ingleby east of Cumwhitton. It was excavated in the 1940s, but the bodies had been cremated and not buried.

Local metal specialist Peter Adams made the find at the end of March and reported it to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which is run by the Museums, Libraries and Archive Council.

“This is tremendous news, a unique discovery which will improve people’s understanding of the area and its history,” council chairman Mark Wood said.

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Roman Glass Bowl Sets World Record in London

An extraordinary and fragile Roman glass bowl, dating from circa A.D. 300, broke the world record price for a piece of glass sold at auction July 14th in London. Selling to a telephone bidder at Bonhams' Sale of Highly Important Antiquities, The Constable-Maxwell Cage-Cup fetched £2,646,650. It was once used as a lamp and had been carved from a solid piece of glass.

Following the sale, Joanna van der Lande, head of antiquities at Bonhams, said: "The Cage-Cup is exceptionally fragile, cut from a single block of glass. It would have been clear but has become iridescent due to a reaction between the earth it was buried in and the glass. Its probable use was as an oil lamp suspended by a collar around the rim. It's really a very highly prized piece."

The cup was last sold in 1997 as part of a collection formed for investment purposes by the British Rail Pension Fund. At that time, the cup sold for £2,311,500.

Catalogue XXXI Available from Fragments of Time -- More than 65 Objects Highlighted

Fragments of Time, Inc., a leading international dealer in museum-quality ancient art, today announced availability of Art from the Ancient World XXXI, a full-color and authoritatively researched catalogue highlighting more than 65 provenanced ancient objects from its inventory.

For more than 10 years, company founder John Ambrose, who had previously spent 15 years as a private collector in Europe and the USA, has been one of the few American antiquities dealers publishing quarterly, fully researched and illustrated, fixed-price catalogues dedicated to fine antiquities. Fragments of Time enjoys an international reputation for quality antiquities, scholarly expertise, competitive prices, and unrivalled service.

In addition to a variety of classical Greek, Roman, Hellenistic and Italic objects, Catalogue XXXI also includes a selection of antiquities from the Near East, Holyland, Cyprus and Byzantium.

The cover of Catalogue XXXI features a large and important Athenian red-figure lekythos, circa 480-470 BC, depicting a beautifully composed youthful female standing in a domestic setting that includes ancient furniture, weaving implements, and baskets containing fruit or flowers. The vase also has a 130-year documented provenance and has been extensively published. It was also exhibited in the mid 1940s at the London Royal Academy of Arts.

“Fine Attic red-figure pottery continues to be one of the most desirable areas for collectors of classical antiquities but demand sharply outstrips supply,” said Ambrose. “Objects, such as this lekythos, with long pedigree histories and well executed scenes are a superb addition to any serious collection.”

The catalogue features a variety of superb classical Greek objects including a fine Athenian drinking cup with a Dionysiac procession (ex-French 19th century collection), a wonderful standing Greek Kore in terracotta (ex-California collection), and a pristine molded Athenian “Head Vase” circa 475-450 BC (ex-Canadian collection).

Collectors of Greek South Italian pottery and terracottas will fine an array of objects including an extremely interesting and rare 4th Century BC skyphos with an owl with outstretched wings on one side and a seated sphinx in profile on the reverse. This vase is a striking and artistically powerful departure from the standard but still pleasing “owl cup” representative of the goddess Athena.

In addition to a selection of Roman pottery, lamps and bronzes, Catalogue XXXI features a small group of fine Roman glass objects, circa 1st-5th Century AD, including an attractive “grape flask,” a near colorless glass cup, pale green shallow glass dish, and a group of miniature glass juglets that were worn as jewelry by the ancients.

Egyptian collectors will find a selection of fine scarabs – each fully attributed and described. In addition, the catalogue features an inscribed steatite obelisk amulet inscribed for the “controller of the wine production of Ra,” and an inscribed Shabti for Padi-Aset, and a pair of papyrus scepter amulets, among others.

Advice for Collectors of Antiquities

Five years ago, there were fewer than 50 "professional" dealers of ancient art in North America. These dealers had long-earned reputations, established bases of operation, traveled internationally to all the key antiquities events, and had a deep knowledge of the field. Today, it seems anyone who has every purchased a pottery sherd or an ancient Roman coin has created a web site and claims to be a dealer. The web is a maze of pseudo-dealers, legitimate up-and-coming dealers, and established expert dealers. How do you distinguish? One way to judge is whether the dealer publishes a catalogue. A catalogue is more than tool to help the buyer peruse the selection of objects, it is an important document that establishes provenace, adds value to an object at resale time, and is an important reference source. More.

French Archaeologists Find Two Mummies

French archaeologists working in Saqqara, Egypt, have reported discovering two new sarcophagi in situ dating to the Ptolemaic Period (323-30 BC). One of the sarcophagi is of stone, the other wooden. The two mummies are said to be in excellent condition. The pair was discovered in an area that yielded nearly 20 mummies in recent excavations.

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Fine Selection of Ancient Art

For those who may be finding us for the first time through our new blog site, I'd like to introduce you to our website -- Fragments of Time. It is an oasis for any collector looking to make an informed and trusted purchase of an ancient work of art. With our more than 20 years of expertise in the field of antiquities, you can be assured of the best quality objects backed by a lifetime guarantee of authenticity. Thanks for visiting!