Specialties
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Greek Silver Boat-Shaped Earrings with Rosettes
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Greek:
Pre AD 1000 item# 944741
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$1165.00
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The beautiful pieces offered here is a matching set of Greek silver earrings, that date circa 6th century B.C. These pieces are made of solid silver, are not plated or have a bronze core, and they have an attractive dark gray patina. These pieces are approximately 1 inch high and .64 inches wide near the base. The upper half narrows into a point, which allowed these earrings to pass through a pierced ear. There is some flex to these pieces even now, and they could easily be worn today. The shape of this type of earring is known as a "boat-shaped type", and they have two additional decorative rosette pattern knobs that are seen on each side. Each of these minute round knobs were individually added, and these earrings were made with a great deal of skill, although they have a simple design. Greek silver jewelry from this time frame, circa 550 B.C., is scarce, as most Greek silver jewelry dates to the later Hellenistic Period, circa 336 B.C. (A Greek silver fibula with analogous workmanship is seen in The Belgrade National Museum and is published in "Balkani" by Tatjana Cvjeticanin, Giovanni Gentili, and Vera Krstic, Silvana Editoriale Pub., 2008, no. 73.) The earrings offered here are intact and have no repair/restoration, and are in exceptional mint condition. An earring stand is included, along with a gift box. Ex: Private German collection. (These pieces have additional documentation for the purchaser.) I certify that these pieces are authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Superb Greek Hellenistic Silver Mastos Bowl
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Greek:
Pre AD 1000 item# 595929
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$4865.00
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This piece is a Greek silver bowl that dates from the Hellenistic period, circa 4th-3rd century B.C. This superb piece is approximately 3.5 inches high by 5.75 inches in diameter. This piece was hammered from one sheet of silver, then the top rim was folded under, and then the top rim was sealed with a bead that is seen on the inside. In addition, there is a round double-bead design that is seen on the outer bottom. This piece has some heavy outer white calcite deposits and a nice even light gray patina. This piece is known as a "mastos" bowl and the type is seen in D.E. Strong "Greek and Roman Gold and Silver Plate", London 1966, p.108, fig.24. This type of vessel was used as table ware for a wealthy individual, and was also utilized as a ceremonial type piece. This piece is a large and superb example for the type, and is analogous to the example seen in Sotheby's Antiquities, New York, Dec. 2001, no. 291, ($4,000.00-$6,000.00 estimates). 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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Huge Greek Bronze Bowl with Superb Patina
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Greek:
Bronze:
Pre AD 1000 item# 994533
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$5,800.00
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This piece is an extremely large Greek bronze bowl that dates circa 5th-4th century B.C. This piece is approximately 13.2 inches in diameter by 4.2 inches high, and has a superb dark green patina with light green and blue hues. This piece is intact and has no repair/restoration, and is in mint "as found" condition. This piece has two concentric circles that run around the main body of the vessel, and three concentric circles are seen within the raised base ring. These concentric circles are often seen on ancient Greek vessels that date from the 5th to the 4th century B.C. The metal is very think on this piece, and this piece does have some noticable weight to it, and is somewhat heavy as it is approximately 4.8 pounds. This piece has a thick rounded rim, and this allows one to easily lift this piece with a solid grip. There are also no handles attached to the main body, and there is no indication that there were handles that were ever attached to this piece. This type of large vessel with no handles was made to hold wine and/or water for the table or bath, and was often placed on a raised stand. (For this type of vessel, see "Vergina, The Royal Tombs" by Manolis Andronicos, Ekdotike Athenon Pub., Athens, 1984.) This vessel may also have been made for heated water, and may have been used to cool the heated water for the bath, given the thickness of the metal. This piece is rare in this size and is a beautiful example with a high degree of eye appeal. Ex: Mathias Komor collection, New York. Ex: Private New York collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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X-Rare Chinese Han Dynasty Glass Burial Suit Tiles
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Asian:
Chinese:
Glass:
Pre AD 1000 item# 1005541
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$6,875.00
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This extremely rare piece is a set of 28 glass tiles, 6 of which have a low relief carved dragon design. These 28 superb pieces date to the late Han Dynasty, circa 1st-2nd century A.D., and are all approximately 2.25 inches wide, by 1.75 inches high, by 1/8 inch thick. These pieces are also mint condition, with no cracks or chips, and are in their natural "as found" condition. These extremely rare tiles all have a hole in each corner, which allowed these tiles to be joined together into a burial suit that covered the entire body. The intact Han Dynasty burial suits found to date are made from Jade, and a jade suit was extremely labor intensive and extremely expensive to create, and only royalty and wealthy aristocrats could afford to be buried in them. Jade was considered by the Han as having properties that promoted immortality, and jade was a symbol of wealth and power. Glass objects imported into China, as early as the 5th century B.C., were also held in high esteem, and glass has many properties that are analogous to jade, including both materials being translucent. The glass burial tiles offered here are also very analogous to the jade burial tiles in size, form, and design. Burial suit remains have been found in a few wooden-chambered burials from the late West Han Dynasty. The extremely rare glass plaques from these finds come in different shapes, with rectangular being the most common. Some of these rectangular pieces have perforations in 4 corners, indicating that they were strung together to form a protective burial suit. Other plaques are often decorated with molded patterns, and all the glass plaque shapes have jade counterparts, suggesting that glass burial suits were a cheaper alternative to jade burial suits. The importation of glass into China created the impetus for the production of indigenous glass, and the earliest archaeological evidence for glass production in China comes from the Zhou Dynasty, circa 1046 B.C.-221 B.C., and the Chinese learned to manufacture glass comparably later than the Mesopotamians and Egyptians. During the Han period, circa 206 B.C.-220 A.D., the use of glass diversified, and glass casting during this period encouraged the production of molded objects, such as the glass burial tiles offered here. The glass objects from the Warring States and Han Dynasty periods vary greatly in chemical composition from the imported glass objects, as they contain very high levels of barium oxide (BaO) and lead (PbO). The Chinese glass tiles tested average 40.37 % lead and 21.49 % barium, and this Chinese "lead-barium" glass tradition is very different than the "soda-lime-silica" glasses of Western Asia and Mesopotamia. See Kerr and Wood, Ceramic Technology: In Science and Civilization in China, Vol. 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 474-477. The high content of barium carbonate as an ingredient in this Han glass may have been used as a flux to lower the melting point of the glass, and/or to alter the opacity of the glass, thus giving it a jade-like appearance. A broken unmounted half of a glass burial tile is included, along with the mounted 28 burial tiles, and one can see the inner layers of the tile. (See attached photo.) High magnification of the inner edge of this broken tile reveals a white layer at each inner edge that resembles witherite, which is a mineral form of barium carbonate. The "as found" patina seen on the outer surface of these superb pieces is light brown to dark gray, and there are several spotty dark black burial deposits. The low relief molded dragon designs seen on six of the tiles are also protective figurines, that protected the body and the spirit "Po" of the deceased. The ancient Chinese thought that each person had two souls that coexisted, and the "Hun" soul was thought to depart the body through the head of the departed into the next life, and the "Po" soul was thought to remain living inside the body and tomb. The ancient Chinese glass and jade burial suits were created to accommodate this aspect of the ancient Han Dynasty ideology, as the burial suits would keep the "Po" happily living inside the body. These glass plaque Han Dynasty burial tiles are extremely rare on the market, and would make an important addition to any ancient glass collection, as well as any Asian art collection. These pieces are custom mounted with brown thread on a brown linen padded cloth backing, that is approximately 10.5 inches wide by 14 inches high, and is easily hung for display. Ex: Robert Ellsworth collection. Ex: Jeff Shore collection. Ex: Private New York collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Lively and Rare Roman Silver Griffin Vessel Leg
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Roman:
Pre AD 1000 item# 886914
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$2875.00
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This rare and lively piece is a cast Roman silver vessel leg in the form of a griffin. This exceptional piece dates circa 4th century A.D. and is approximately 3.4 inches high. This piece was cast via the "lost wax" technique, and as such, this piece is an individual work of art and is a solid heavy piece. The griffin was a composite mythical creature that was typically having a head, forepart, and wings like those of an eagle, and a body, hind legs, and tail like those of a lion. This piece has a lion's paw base, and the head and wings of an eagle. The wings served as an attachment support to a vessel that may have been made of bronze, as there are bronze deposits seen on the back side of each wing. This bronze vessel may have been supported by two additional silver griffin legs that would have formed a tripod base, but more likely, this bronze vessel may have been a square box, as the support wings seen at the back of this silver piece are set at a forty-five degree angle, and a silver griffin leg would have supported each corner of a square box. The griffin for the Hellenistic Greeks, was a creature that symbolized the destroying power of the gods, and for the Romans, the griffin came to symbolize a protective diety. In Roman art, the griffin was often applied in the decoration of friezes, and one of the finest was at the temple of Antoninus and Faustina in Rome. The use of a griffin, regarding the piece offered here, was probably regarded by the prior Roman owner as a protective type motif, and this vessel was a very valuable one, as the individual griffin support legs were made of silver, and other elements of this vessel could have been made of silver as well. An anlogous designed Roman griffin seen in the form of a bronze lamp handle is illustrated in "Die Welt Von Byzanz-Europas ostliches Erbe", by Herausgegeben von Ludwig Wamser, Theiss Pub., 2001, no. 340. The rare silver piece offered here is an exceptional example of late Roman art, as the face of the griffin has a very lively expression and this serves this piece well as a "protector" type piece. This piece has a dark to light grey patina, along with spotty bronze and minute dark black mineral deposits. This piece is mounted on a custom black plexiglas stand. Ex: Private Austria collection (1980's). 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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Masterpiece Miniature Roman Silver Eagle Figurine
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Roman:
Pre AD 1000 item# 594619
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$1875.00
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This Roman silver eagle is nothing short of a masterpiece. This piece dates circa 1st century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. The quality and detail seen on this piece is superb, and this piece probably was made by a gem engraver and/or coin die celator. This miniature silver piece is approximately 1.25 inches high and sits on a custom clear/black plexiglas base. The piece rotates around on a pin that is centered in the clear plexiglas post. This piece has detail seen within the wings that is truly remarkable, and this type of workmanship reminds one of the Greek coins of Acragas, circa 472-420 B.C., that show a standing eagle. A coin such as this may have served as a model, as the Roman artists strove to duplicate the earlier Greek artists. The minute detail, seen within the feathers of the wings and the tension portrayed in the neck with a slight twist, could only have been produced by a very accomplished artist. The pose of this piece is very refined from every angle, which is another point that defines this piece. The patina of this piece is aged to a light gray, which indicates that this piece has had contact with oxygen for quite some time and that it has not been recently cleaned. An exceptional piece with fine detail and one of the best Roman miniatures that has been offered. Ex: Private German collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Extremely Fine Greek Hemidrachm of Neapolis
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Greek:
Pre AD 1000 item# 984306
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$1,275.00
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This superb coin is a hemidrachm that was minted circa 390-370 B.C. This coin was minted in the civic mint of Neapolis, and grades extremely fine in condition. Neapolis developed as an Athenian colony, and was important because of the rich silver mines that were in the region. Neapolis was located on the coast of the Greek mainland directly opposite the island of Thasos. The obverse is a facing Gorgon that has an open mouth with a protruding tongue, and this was the civic symbol of Neapolis. The Gorgon was the Greek mythical beast that turned men into stone. There is also a single dot seen below the cheek of the Gorgon, and this may be an indication of value. The reverse has a delicate young female head facing right, that has been classified by many numismatists as being a young nymph. It is my contention that this young female head is Artemis Parthenos, who was a goddess that was popular in the wild interior of this region. This head is rendered with exceptional detail, as one can easily see individual hairs and a delicate single strand necklace. There is also Greek lettering seen running around the head: N-E-O-II. This coin is approximately 1.88 gms, and is 14mm in diameter. (Another example of the same grade was offered by Freeman & Sear, Fixed Price List 11, June 2006, no. 28, for $1,500.00.) Die references: Sear 1417, Jameson 954, and Dewing 1067. Ex: Private CA. collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Mint Hellenistic Greek Canosan Cast Glass Plate: X-Rare
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Greek:
Pre AD 1000 item# 590958
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$8400.00
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This extremely rare Greek glass plate dates from the Hellenistic period, circa 4th-3rd century BC. This piece was probably made in Canosa, Apulia, that is in southern Italy. The vessel is approximately 6.25 inches in diameter by .8 inches high and is in mint condition with no stress cracks and/or chips. This piece is surprisingly heavy for its size as well, as this piece was cast in a two-piece mold and was then smoothed by grinding and polishing. Cast glass is thicker and denser than glass that was free blown, and is more difficult to produce. With the advent of glass blowing technology that was perfected by the Romans, they were able to mass produce glass vessels in great numbers with a wide range of shapes. The earlier Greek cast glass was limited to mostly plates, bowls, and cups with added handles. There are very few Greek cast vessels in the marketplace today, as most ancient glass seen on the market is Roman blown glass. This piece is the one and only "Canosan" glass vessel I have owned and have seen on the market in quite some time. This piece has subtle concentric circles that can be seen, and these were created from the grinding/polishing process. This piece is colorless with a greenish tinge and this color is the more common color for glass of this type. This color also matches the majority of the ten Canosan vessels that are now in the British Museum and were donated by the executors of Felix Slade in 1959. A shallow dish that is analogous to the piece offered here is from this group, and is seen in "Masterpieces of Glass" by D.B. Harden, British Museum Pub. 1968, p. 31, no.35. The piece offered here has a thick milky white patina that is adhered to the outer surface, and in places where this is missing, the glass has a multi-colored iridescence. There are also traces of minute root marking and mineral deposits. In "Early Ancient Glass", by Frederick Grose, Toledo Museum of Art, page 186 the following is seen: "To date, five hoards of glass vessels have been identified. Three are known to have been found in separate multichambered family tombs at Canosa; two are thought to have come from this locale but lack documentation. In addition, a few isolated examples from single burials can be attributed to the town. Elsewhere in Magna Graecia, vessels of the group have been found in Campania, at Reggio in Calabria, at Naxos and Morgantina on Sicily, and in Etruria. Outside Italy, sites in Greece, Asia Minor, along the Black Sea, and possibly Cyrenaica have also yielded examples. The number of recorded vessels of the group now stands at about sixty, illustrating a dozen main forms and variants, (see Fig.92)". The vessel offered here is of the type illustrated, in Figure 92 as noted above, as being a rarer form which is a circular cosmetic plate, with some of which have square rims. (For a Greek Hellenistic light green-tinted cast bowl of the same shape as the piece offered here, although it has a ring base at the bottom and is approximately 4.2 inches in diameter, see: Sotheby's Antiquities, New York, June 2003, no. 152. $6,000.00-$9,000.00 estimates.) If you are a collector of ancient glass, this may be one of the few opportunities to own an extremely rare Canosan glass vessel from this group and of this type. Ex: Joel Malter collection, Los Angeles, CA. circa 1965. Ex: Hadji Soleimani collection, London. Ex: Private New York collection. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Massive Greek Mycenaean Bronze Armlets: X-Rare
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Greek:
Bronze:
Pre AD 1000 item# 763998
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$8800.00
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These massive Greek/Mycenaean bronze armlets date circa 1400-1100 B.C. and are extremely rare. Each of these striking armlets were cast as one piece, and are very heavy. These pieces were very valuable in antiquity, as a great deal of bronze went into these pieces, and only a wealthy individual and/or noble wore these pieces as a mark of rank and prestige. These pieces are approximately 3.6 inches in diameter by 2.6 inches high, and were likely worn by a very powerful male individual on the upper arm. These pieces also have some wear on the inner edges, which is a good indication that these armlets were worn over a great deal of time, possibly for the adult lifetime of the individual. The design of these armlets shows at each terminal end, two stylized rams heads with curled horns and dotted eyes, and these recessed dotted eyes are seen at the point where the curled horns connect. These recessed dotted eyes were probably inlaid with precious stones, ivory, or bone. Behind the stylized rams heads are three bands with chevrons within, and between these bands are wavy-line and connecting-spiral symbols. The connecting-spiral symbols are seen as early as the Early Cycladic period, circa 2800-2000 B.C., and are subsequently seen as a principle symbol of the Mycenaean Greek culture circa 1500-1200 B.C. ( For an example of this symbol seen during the Early Cycladic period see "Minoan and Mycenaean Art" by Reynold Higgins, Praeger Pub., New York, 1967, p.54. The example cited is a ceramic vase with incised connecting-spiral line decoration.) The wavy-line symbol is also seen on massive storage jars (pithoi) from Crete, circa 1900-1400 B.C. (Ibid, p.108-109.) These wavy-line designs, seen on these pithoi from Crete, are often seen between bands with chevron designs, and this is very analogous to the design seen on these bronze armlets. The wavy-line designs may also imitate the rope cradles which would have been used to transport these large pithoi which date from the fifteenth century B.C., and many of these examples can now be seen in the British Museum. (See attached photo of a pithoi from the palace of Knossos. Ibid, page 109.) Large scale Greek/Mycenaean bronze jewelry, such as these armlets, are much rarer than ceramics from this period, as bronze from this period was regarded as being very valuable, principally because it could be smelted into weapons. It is also probable that the bronze that went into these extremely rare armlets was from Cyprus, as Cyprus had a vibrant export trade in bronze during the period these armlets were produced circa 1400-1100 B.C., and the Greek/Mycenaean culture was present on Cyprus during this period as well. Waves of Achaeans from the Peloponnese settled in Cyprus circa 1200 B.C., and they brought with them a new style of potttery, new metallurgical techniques, and bronzework. Large scale bronze works were created circa 1200-1100 B.C., including tripod stands decorated with figures in relief, large cauldrons and situlae, and weapons of new types. A four-legged bronze stand, with a composite ring at the top that has a connecting-spiral pattern within, and stylized rams head with spiral horns seen above each leg, is now seen in the Cyprus Museum, Nicosia. This four-legged bronze stand dated 12th century B.C., has very analogous design elements relative to the massive bronze armlets that are offered here, and this leads to the conclusion that these armlets probably fit into this timeframe, but this does not reveal exactly where these extremely rare armlets were produced. However, the artistic style, the use of symbols that are seen on other known works of art, and the large scale size of these armlets does point to Cyprus as the place where these pieces were originally produced. (See "The Civilization of Prehistoric Cyprus", by Vassos Karageorghis, Alpine Fine Arts Pub., New York, 1983, page 210, no. 179. Also, see attached photo of the four-legged bronze stand.) These impressive armlets have a superb dark emerald green patina, with some light blue highlights in sections of the pieces. There is also some heavy mineral deposits on the inner surfaces, and there is some spotty wear, seen on the inner edges and on one side of the outer edge of each armlet. The minor outer wear, seen on the one side of each armlet, also is a good indicater as to which arm each armlet was worn by the owner. These beautiful pieces also sit on custom stands and easily lift off each stand. These armlets are also solid enough to be worn today, although there is a minor stress crack in one of the armlets which can easily be repaired. Ex: Bonhams Antiquities, London. Ex: Private German collection. Ex: Axel Guttmann collection, Berlin. I certify that these pieces are authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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Near Eastern Black Steatite Spindle Whorl with Figures
Catalogue:
Antiques:
Regional Art:
Ancient World:
Near Eastern:
Stone:
Pre AD 1000 item# 968903
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Apolonia Ancient Art
303-321-7351 gallery
$625.00
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This charming piece is a black steatite spindal whorl that was used for weaving textiles. This pieces dates circa 3100-2600 B.C. and is likely Anatolian or Syrian, as the four figures seen on this piece are analogous to the figures seen on carved cylinder seals for the period and region. (See Sotheby's Antiquities, London, "Western Asiatic Cylinder seals and Antiquities from the Erlenmeyer Collection, Part 1", July 1992, no. 31-33.) Black steatite is very difficult to carve, as it is a very hard stone, and this adds to the rarity of this piece. In addition, this type of stone comes mostly from the Syrian region, and cylinder seals, rather than spindle whorls, are much more common. This piece is approximately 1.25 inches in diameter, by .5 inches high. This piece is conical in shape, has a hole bow drilled through the center, and has four separate registers with a figure within. Two of the figures seen in profile may be images of a deer, and a dog or a wolf. The other two images may be seen from the top, and may represent the same animals, but if seen in profile, they are very anthropomorphic, and its also possible that both views were meant to be portrayed. This piece has very minute root marking and striations that are seen on the entire piece which is a good sign of authenticity, in addition, there are mineral deposits seen in many of the low relief points. This piece is scarce to rare, and is in superb condition for the type. A custom stand is included. Ex: Private French collection. Ex: David Leibert collection, New York. I certify that this piece is authentic as to date, culture, and condition:
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