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Rare Greek Marble Cycladic Idol: 3rd Millennium BC
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Antiques:
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Greek:
Sculpture:
Pre AD 1000 item# 581392
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$2,875.00
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This esoteric piece is a fragment of a Greek Cycladic idol of the "kiliya" female type, Early Bronze Age II, circa 2700-2400 BC. This torso fragment is about one third of the complete piece that it once was, and the breaks are at the lower neck/upper shoulder and below the waist of the figurine. This piece matches the scale and type of a complete piece that is seen in Sotheby's Antiquities, Dec. 2004, no. 223 (This piece sold for $764,000.00 including the buyer's premium). The piece noted above and the example offered here, both display three lines in the form of a triangle that defines the waist and the female abdomen. This highly stylized type of piece is a fusion of geometric forms, with relatively massive heads carved in the round atop long and slender necks, broad shoulders that slope in graceful curves that end abruptly at the elbows, and arms that are set off from the torso by oblique cuts. There are about 30 known complete examples of this rare marble type, and generally range in height from about 6 to 7 inches. This torso fragment is approximately 2.8 inches high, and if complete, would fall within the range of a complete example as noted above. The "Kiliya" name comes from a site near Gallipoli, where a figure now in the American School of Classical Studies in Athens was reputedly found. This type of piece is also known as a "stargazer" type, as the heads are all turned upwards and appear to face up to the sky. This type of piece is also thought to be western Anatolian in origin, with examples known from the Troad and from Mysia, Caria, and Lycia. This piece has heavy calcite mineral deposits seen on the backside and some lighter deposits on the front side, indicating a burial pattern. Authentic pieces like this with provenance are simply not on the market today, and even fragments like this are extremely rare. (A fragment of this type, size, and proportion was offered in New York in NFA Classical Auctions, Inc., Dec. 1991, no. 62, $6,000.00-$8,000.00 estimates.) For additional related examples see J. Thimme, "Art and Culture of the Cyclades in the Third Millenium B.C.", Chicago, 1977, no. 560-566; and "Kunst der Kykladen", Karlsruhe Museum Exhibit 1976, no.560 and 565. Ex: Bomford collection. Ex: Private German collection. (Additional documentation is available to the purchaser.) I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Persian Illuminated Manuscript Page depicting Hunters
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Near Eastern:
Pre 1800 item# 1075389
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$1,275.00
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This interesting document is a Persian illuminated manuscript page that depicts two hunters slaying two running deer. This piece is likely late 17th-18th century A.D., and is approximately 7.5 inches wide by 9.9 inches high. This piece is in superb condition, and has very vibrant black, light blue, yellow, red, white, and brown colors. One side of this page has two lines of elegant nasta'liq script, seen above a fine-line drawn scene, and there are three lines of script seen in the upper left side margin. In addition, there is a single line of script seen in the upper left side corner of the fine-line drawn scene. The back side of this detailed document has 21 lines of script, and there are several lines of script that appear to be added notes that are seen in the left margin of the page and between several lines of the text. The fine-line drawn scene has two hunters on horseback, and they are hunting two deer, as one hunter shoots an arrow into a jumping deer, while the other chases a running deer with a sword. The scene has very vibrant colors, and the sky above the light blue mountains, the saddle blankets, the arrow quivers, and the sword are all highlighted with a gold gilt. The light blue mountains and foreground are also meant to convey a magical world, and in combination with the gold gilt highlights, give the scene an ethereal perspective. The scene may also represent a Persian myth of the hero Rostam, who carried out the "Seven Labours of Rostam", and the "Fourth Stage" of this myth involves Rostam traveling on horseback through an enchanted territory where he finds provisions including a ready roasted deer. This myth is likely what is portrayed on the manuscript page offered here, as Rostam is also the mythical national hero of "Greater Persia" which originated with the first Persian Empire in Persis circa 1400 B.C. This piece is a better example than what is normally seen on the market, and has great eye appeal. This piece is ready for mounting, and is in a protective plastic cover with a hard backing which is made for storage and shipping. Ex: Private New York collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Near Eastern Sumerian Banded Marble Fox Stamp Seal
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Near Eastern:
Stone:
Pre AD 1000 item# 778770
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$1865.00
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This banded white and light yellow marble Sumerian stamp seal is in the form of a recumbent fox and dates circa 3500-2900 B.C. This superb piece is approximately 1.25 inches long and is an exceptional example for the type. This esoteric piece has a bow drilled hole that runs through the top to the bottom center, and there are two animals seen on the flat back side that were carved into the piece. The overall carving of this piece is very detailed and represents a high degree of workmanship, as this piece was produced at the very dawn of civilization when city-states were first formed. The two animals, seen on the back flat side, appear to be identical and served as a stamp and/or seal, and may have represented value in a transaction. This mint quality stamp seal/amulet appears to be a fox, as the head is very angular, along with the raised ears. ( For another analogous example see Sotheby's Antiquities, "The Ada Small Moore Collection of Ancient Near Eastern Seals", New York, Dec. 1991, no. 3, $3,000.00-$5,000.00 estimates. ) This piece was probably part of a necklace, and the vertical bow drilled hole allowed this piece to hang with other seals/amulets of this type. This translucent piece has some spotty mineral deposits, and these deposits can be seen within the eyes, and become darker when one looks through this piece into a lighted background. ( See attached photo. ) This eerie effect makes this piece look alive, and the deposits seen within the eyes may in part be original inlay. Only a skilled artist could achieve this visual effect. This exceptional piece is mounted on a custom plexiglas stand, can easily lift off the stand, and can be worn today. Ex: Joel Malter collection, Los Angeles, CA. Ex: Private New York collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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X-Rare Moche Man with Facial Deformity: Ex Fischer
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Antiques:
Regional Art:
Americas:
Pre Columbian:
Pottery:
Pre AD 1000 item# 1136603
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$3,675.00
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This extremely rare piece is a Moche "open topped" jar that is Moche V Period, circa 500-700 A.D. This piece is approximately 13.7 inches high, by 8 inches in diameter around the mid-section of the vessel. This piece has highlighted dark red/brown body features that are seen over a light cream colored background, and this Moche convention of art gives this piece very noticable detail to the viewer. This Moche convention of art is generally seen within the Moche V Period, and is often associated with "open topped" jar vessels of this type and "open topped" jars with an extended neck. This piece is 100% original, was repaired from three large fragments, and is a large example for the type. There is also attractive dark burnishing and minute spotty black deposits seen on sections of this piece. This exceptional piece depicts a seated male individual, who is seen on his knees with his legs folded under his body, with one arm over his chest, and the other arm down at his side. He is seen looking straight ahead with what appears to be a forlorn expression on his face, and his face displays an extended lower jaw and deep gashes/cuts that are primarily seen on the right side of his face and jaw. His facial deformity and gashes/cuts may have been the result of battle damage sustained in one-on-one Moche combat, which was geared to "capture", rather than to "kill" one's opponent. (See "Moche Art of Peru" by Christopher B. Donnan, University of California Pub., 1978.) The Moche warrior is also often depicted on Moche ceramics in full battle regalia, and is seen wearing a conical helmet, nose guard, and neck pads/guards. The most vulnerable contact points was the front of the face, the jaw/lower face, and perhaps the lower extremities of the body. Given the goal of Moche combat to "capture" one's opponent for "live" sacrifice, the Moche warriors who survived such combat must have sustained injuries of the type seen on the vessel offered here. In addition, this piece was examined by a several surgeons, and one made the following comment: "Interesting piece. The figure has a Le Fort Fracture of the mid face. The jaw is in the right position, but the middle of the face is pushed in, and this explains the relative diminutive nose. This fracture is generally secondary to severe force, such as a fall from a height, but it was first described by a French surgeon treating war injuries. I could envision it being caused by a blow to the face with a war club." This piece was collected circa 1960's by Dr. Ernst J. Fischer, who collected Moche art/ceramics that were medical related, and often depicted individuals with diseases and/or deformities. The Moche are known for their realistic ceramic portraiture of individuals, and the vessel offered here is a prime example of their skill for realism in portraiture. However, there is the possibility that the individual depicted here is seen with a medical related disease and/or deformity, and this is the conventional view offered by many experts in Andean pre-Columbian art. The most common view is that the deformed face, of the seated individual offered here, was caused from a disease such as Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis (ML), and this disease is found today in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru. ML is contracted from a sand fly bite, and subsequently, ML symtoms include painful nodules inside the nose, perforation of the nasal septum, and enlargement of the nose and lips. Untreated, the disease leads to ulcerated lesions and scarring and tissue destruction predominately in the face and extremities which can be disfiguring (See MedicineNet.com for more information regarding this disease). This piece may display the disease noted above, or it may possibly be the result of a battle injury, but there is also a third possibility, and that the individual seen here may have been subjected to a ritual mutilation ceremony and/or was simply the victim of mutilation as a form of punishment, but whatever the case, this interesting piece is an extremely rare Moche vessel that is seldom seen on the market. Ex: Dr. Ernst J. Fischer collection, Germany. Exhibited: "America vor Kolumbus", Museum fur Volkskunde und Kulturgeschichte Kevelaer, 1992. / "Gesichter Alt-Amerika", Ausstellung im Foyer der Sparkasse, Krefeld, Germany, 1994. / "Weltsprache der Form", Ausstellung im Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, Germany, 1998-1999. / "Prakolumbische Kunst aus Peru", Ausstellung auf der Cologne Fine Art, Germany, 2006. / "Kallawaya-heilkunst in den Anden", Grassi-Museum fur Volkerkunde, Leipzig, Germany, 2011. (Note: Additional documentation is included with this piece, including a TL test, circa 1991.) I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Greek Sub-Mycenaean Terracotta Amphora: 900-600 B.C.
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Ancient World:
Greek:
Pottery:
Pre AD 1000 item# 594153
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$465.00
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This attractive piece is a Greek terracotta amphora that dates circa 1100-700 B.C., and is Sub-Mycenaean (Iron Age I & II). This light red terracotta is intact and has nice heavy white calcite deposits seen within the vessel. There are also spotty white calcite deposits seen on the outside surface and the inner surface has traces of root marking. This piece was probably used a table ware vessel and is approximately 4.6 inches high. A nice intact vessel with good eye appeal. Ex: Private New York collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Mint X-Large Apulian Pyxis by the White-Sakkos Painter
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Antiques:
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Ancient World:
Greek:
Pottery:
Pre AD 1000 item# 1142118
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
Price on Request
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This beautiful piece is a Greek Apulian pyxis that dates circa 320-310 B.C. This exceptional piece is approximately 11.6 inches high, and is an extremely large example for the type. This piece has also been attributed to the White-sakkos Painter, who was one of the better Apulian painters in the late 4th century B.C. This piece is also in mint condition, and there are very few large scale examples of this type of vessel that are of this remarkable mint condition and quality. There are no stress cracks and/or restoration/repair on this vessel, and the paint has very vibrant red, black, white, and yellow colors. This piece has a spherical form, and was made with two parts which consist of a lid and a lower bowl/base. The lower bowl/base has a round ring base, and is decorated with red and black palmette sections that run around the body. The upper lid has a knob handle at the top, and is decorated with a draped seated woman holding a temple-shaped box, and an approaching nude flying winged Eros that is seen holding a thymiaterion and a jug. Both of these attractive figures are also wearing a white sakkos hair tie, and appear to be interacting with one another. There is also a detailed floral decoration seen below the flying Eros, and a hydria is seen below the seated woman. The hydria has a painted side handle which also resembles a Greek letter, and this letter may be a hidden signature of the potter and/or workshop. The draped seated woman may also be Demeter or Persephone, who dwelled in the Greek underworld. This seated woman also has one exposed breast, which is a hallmark feature of the White-Sakkos Painter, and according to A.D. Trendall in "Red Figure Vases of South Italy and Sicily", Thames and Hudson Pub., 1989, p. 100: "and males look increasingly efffeminate, at times almost hermaphroditic. Woman's drapery is marked by bunches of fold-lines at the waist; their breasts are clearly defined, with one often exposed." On the back side of this upper lid, there is an extensive palmette decoration that also aligns with the alternating palmette designs seen on the lower bowl. This type of vessel was also used by ancient Greek woman as a container for beauty articles for the toilet, and this vessel was never used in life, as it is likely a votive example given it's mint condition. This vessel is also from the Michael Waltz collection, and vessels of this size and type are seldom seen on the market and are extremely rare. One other large scale analogous example was offered by Royal Athena Galleries in New York, and is seen in "One Thousand Years of Ancient Greek Vases II", Sept. 2010, no. 137. ( This Royal Athena example is approximately 10.9 inches high, is in superb to mint condition, is attributed to the Painter of Marburg 788, and is Ex Patricia Kluge collection. This piece is also listed for $17,500.00.) The piece offered here has a high degree of eye appeal, not only because it can be seen from different angles due to it's spherical design, but also because of it's vibrant colors. Ex: Michael Waltz collection, circa 1970's. (Note: additional documentation is available to the purchaser.) I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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