Wonderful large pottery head, perhaps a theatre head, Roman Egypt, 1st.-3rd. century AD.

The human head with grotesque features.

Size: 87 mm. x 85 mm.

Condition: Very fine, missing one ear othervise completely intact and choice! Nice old brownish patina.

Ex. German Private Collection, 1925-1979.

A GREEK GOLD EARRING WITH FEMALE FIGURE
HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 2ND-1ST CENTURY B.C.

Earrings of a female figure with spiral decoration on the side of her head. Although deformed, the woman has full-body,well crafted down to chest and toes. The amphora can slide up and down. In good condition, but the body is slightly bent.
4.8cm high

Other photos:click here

Scarce and beautiful early type of pottery Oil lamp, Roman 1st.-2nd. century AD.

The lamp is of the Loeschcke Typus VIII and displays a scene with Hermes in very high relief. The lamp is stamped with a known scarce makers name: COPPI.RES

Size: 10 cm.

Condition: Choice and completely intact, thus rare!

Provenance: From a Rheinland-Pfalz collection, 1970-1999.

Relics of the Nile is pleased to present this ancient Egyptian 3rd Intermediate Period upper ushabti fragment. This upper torso from an ushabti remains in excellent condition with striking color and detail. The facial features on this piece are in choice condition with excellent faience green color accented by painted features such as the "shesh" headcloth, sulk and hoe, and seed sack on the back. Vibrant colors of brown and faience green cover the piece...

An exquisite ancient Roman marble head of Aphrodite, C. 1st - 2nd Century AD

Depicted with a serene expression on her face, her head tilted and turned to the right. The long thick waving hear centrally-parted falling in tresses. Shapely lips and small rounded chin. Her heavy-lidded articulated eyes set beneath a defined brow...

A fine bronze seal with a loop on the back and a star-shaped design, Bactria, 3rd. millenium BC.

The seal belongs to one of the varied mostly circular metal “stamp seals” relief cast in bronze or copper alloy, but more rarely in silver or gold, which is classified as so-called “compartmented seal” (a term first used in 1943 by the British archaeologist Stuart Pigott – 1943. P. 179–180, fig...

A superb quality Islamic dish, Seljuq period 12th century A.D. (494 AH – 597 AH). Ancient near East.

In wonderful green-blue glaze, the center decorated with a carved flower in the typical style of the Seljuqs.

Condition: Superb, with fine crackled glaze, intact.

Size: ca. 133 mm. wide (diameter)

Provenance: Important Danish-French Private Estate collection, (aquired 1970- c. 2007) of Islamic pottery ware from the 9th.-12th. century. Comes with COA.

A choice and X-large tanged bronze lance, Ancient Near East, 1200-800 BC. 'Luristan' Turkmenistan / Uzbekistan bronze age.

A very impressive and decorative bronze lance with a long, bent tang, and a broad, leaf-shaped blade with highly profiled midrib.

A beautiful lance that would have been highly efficient on combat.

Size: c. 40 cm. long.

Condition: Nice Very fine. Beautiful green and red bronze patina. Some roughness to the edges.

Ex...

A substantial and attractive bronze figure of a coiled snake, Roman Imperial, 1st.-3rd. cent.

Size: 5,5 cm. in diameter and c. 4 cm. tall weighing 160 grams.

Ex. Saxony private collection, c. 1970.

BURINSHED POTTERY PERFUME JAR
HOLY LAND; MIDDLE BRONZE AGE, 1850 BC
Time of Abraham

Ovoid body, pointed base with a double-shaped handle

Measurements:
Height: 17.5 cm
Diameter: 11.5 cm
Height on stand: 19 cm

Condition: Intact, not repaired and not restored

Mounted on a custom made plexi-glass display stand

Found in Samaria north of Jerusalem, Israel

ALL ITEMS THAT WE OFFER FOR SALE COME WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY

POTTERY HEAD OF ASTARTE "FERTILITY GODDESS"
HOLY LAND, ROMAN, BEIT NATIF, 300 - 400 AD

Measurements:
Height: 5.5 cm
Width: 4 cm
Height on stand: 10.5 cm

Found near Hebron south of Jerusalem, Israel

ALL ITEMS THAT WE OFFER FOR SALE COME WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY

Lovely bronze figure of Hercules in a typical youthful Etruscan style with no beard, Late Etruscan or Gallo-Etruscan, c. 4th.-2nd. century BC.

Herakles, the mythological hero, is depicted standing in contrapposto, his weight resting on his right leg while his left leg is slightly bent...

A lovely and scarce Italian closed combat helmet, with eye slits a come or ridge and a hinge at the side; it also have a produding iron guard that could also function as sunscreen, c. 1580-1610.

"Savoyard" helmets are a distinctive form of late Italian close-helmet worn by cuirassiers, the heavy cavalry outfitted with plate armor worn only to the knee and armed with pistols and swords...

Fine Etruscan chalice supported by a tall, slender stem. Three parallel grooves and a sharply cut carination decorate the exterior of the bowl. Robust double molding on the stem, close to the flaring foot. Brilliant black Bucchero pottery with polished surface.
Rare shape commonly associated with the ancient Etruscan city of Vulci.
For a related example in Malibu, cf. Beazley Archive vase no. 1002468.
Ceramic, Bucchero ware
Etruscan, about 575-550 BC
H...

Interesting lot of three amulets, two in stone and one in bronze dating from ca. 2000 BC-1000 AD.

The lot consists of a larger Islamic bronze pendant or amulet, 55 mm. long and another serpentine stone amulet with engraved decoration or writing (Hittite?), ca. 1st. millenium BC and a third amulet in stone, grooved and likely a fertility amulet Anatolia or Mesopotamia, 2nd.-1st. mill BC.

Nice lot that calls for more research!

Ex. German Private Collection

Ancient Greek Terracotta head of Apollo or Alexander the Great, the head with traces of yellow paint . Mounted on a small pedestal a great piece . Size Head only H 2.75" W 1.75" D 1.75" over H 3.5"

Beuatiful and rare seal depicting a Hermes Caduceus and three naked people that seems to be dancing on each side.

Size: 11 mm.

Condition: Nice VF, few dents.

Ex. Private Collection of Jens Knudsen, Hamburg, from c. 1980-1998.

A very thick and massive gold ring with clasping right hands, Roman Imperial Period, 2nd - 3rd century AD.

Typical high shoulders and compressed design. 22+ carats gold.

The depiction of the dextrarum iunctio (handclasp) was highly popular in Roman art. In the Roman world, the right hand was sacred to Fides,the deity of fidelity...

A massive ancient Near East bronze lance, ca...

A very attractive tall pottery figure of a standing female or deity, Magna Grecia, ca. 3rd. century BC.

The figure is standing with a slight bend in her left knee and one arm above her head perhaps correcting her large headress. She is veiled and clad in elegant garments.

Size: 16,5 cm.

Condition: Superb for type, intact with remnants of white pigments.

Ex. Old Private Collection, aquired before 1980.

A lovely and rare stamp seal depicting two horned animals mating, West-Mesopotamia, c. 2nd.-1st. mill. BC.

The seal is exceptionally well-carved for the type with a four-side and pierced handle atop of the rectangular base. The stone is even dark green. Rare depiction!

Size: 22 x 19 mm. and 13,5 mm. tall.

Condition: Extremely fine for the type.

Added to the Oberländer collection in 2006. Comes with original ID card from the Oberländer collection and...

A lovely key for a treasury chest or money trunk, late 15th./16th. century.

A large and solidly built key with an elaborately carved hollow stem and the oval bow decorated in the center in gothic manor. A rare key!

The decoration of Gothic iron locks and keys was often elaborate and of the highest standard of workmanship. The motifs were frequently drawn from Gothic architecture, reproducing on a miniature scale complicated tracery patterns and even tiny statuettes. A numb...

Ancient Egyptian or Canaanite bronze 'Duckbill' axe-head, Middle Kingdom–Early New Kingdom 2100– 1500 B.C.

Sturdy cast in two halves with a triangular blade, a medial ridge flanked with two oblong openings, and a small round eye for inserting a wooden socket.

Such duckbill axes were mainly produced in Egypt and Syria-Palestine during Phase IIA of the Middle Bronze Age, roughly contemporaneous with the 12th Dynasty in Egypt.

At that time, these territories were under the rule of...

This is really a fantastic fragment of a faience Isis, sitting on a lion throne, nursing her son Horus.
The whole throne, supported by two stringing lions, is well preserved. The lions are extremely fine
and you can see every detail. Dating is between Third Intermediate Period to Late Period.
I think it looks a little bit Nubian, than it is 25th Dynasty. I can not find any parallel of a
comparable faience throne, so it has to be extremely rare.
For comparable bronze lio...

A fine early style bronze compartement stamp seal, c. 3rd. mill. BC.

The seal with a fine symethric sun symbol in the base and a twisted rod handle and loop.

Size: 27 mm. wide and 25 mm. tall.

Comes with imprint and COA.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection of seals between 1985 - 2000s, bought at reputable dealers and from old collections. Gustav Oberländer specialized in early stamp and...

Rare terracotta group with a rat and two mice seen side by side gnawing on the bait of a mousetrap.
According to Pedrizet perhaps an ex-voto offered by a person whose house or granary was infested with mice and rats.
Published as item no. 417, p. 151, pl. 120 (center right) in: Paul Perdrizet. Les terres cuites grecques d’Égypte de la collection Fouquet. Paris 1921. (copy of the publication record joined)
For a rat trap, cf. Petrie Archive UC16773.
Terracotta
...

A very nicely patinated smaller late type of dagger, Danish Neolithic period, Daggertime, ca. 2100-1800 BC.

A fine type with a distinct handle, dating to the end of the neolithic period in Scandinavia.

Size: ca. 14,3 cm.

Condition: Choice!. Wonderful light brown colour from a Marsch-find and some nice gloss from ancient use.

This item comes with a standard export license, when shipped outside Denmark. The license will be issued after sale - estimated d...

A lovely large bronze ring of the Byzantine and early Islamic type, 6th.-8th. cent. AD.

The ring with a thick ring and oval bezel, which is engraved with an interesting relief engraving of structures or perhaps an ancient form of writing.

Ring-Size: 21-22 mm. Weight: 12.67 grams.

Condition: Superb! Very attractive dark green patina.

Ex. Collection of a German Goldsmith, 1960-1995.

This is a lovely ancient Egyptian Scarab, c. 1200 BC, from the famous Mitry collection (see our Homepage). It is 1/2” long (13 mm) and made of steatite, an easy-to-carve stone that hardens when heated. Scarabs empowered life and resurrection and were often placed under mummy wrappings to protect the body and help it resurrect. This Scarab comes in a jewelry display cup.

This beautiful green jasper Heart Scarab is 1/2" (13 mm) long and dates to ~900 BC. Inscribed Heart Scarabs were placed over a mummy’s heart to keep it from revealing any sin during its ‘Weighing of the Heart.’ Smaller, uninscribed Heart Scarabs, like this one, were introduced ~1000 BC. (K. Liszka).

Mehunedjem Type 1 – mHw-nDm

Bab el-Gasus Shabtis - Cache II - Tomb of the Priests of Amun.

Also known as Mehounedjem, Mehtaunedjem

The name means ‘The pleasant North-wind’

During the evacuation of the Bab el Gasus cache, Bouriant registered Mehunedjem on his shabtis list. We only know of this person’s existence from the shabtis that were found

Mehunedjem is one of the persons from the B&G cache, who cannot be matched with any of ...

Interesting and attractive amulet carved and polished in green black stone, very glossy, Mesopotamia Uruk-Jemdet Nasr period, 4th.-3rd. mill. BC.

The amulet drilled at the top as the eyes of the bird, which is standing on a low oval base.

Size: 19-20 mm. tall.

Condition: Choice VF and intact.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection between 1985 - 2000s, bought at reputable dealers and from ol...

Interesting cylinder seal in brown stone, Anatolia, Hittite Empire c. mid 2nd. millenium BC.

A beautiful floral / geomethric style carving with tiny details.

Size: 17 mm. tall and 11 mm. wide.

Condition: Nice Very fine, intact with ancient wear and patina.

This seal was aquired 1990 and comes with hard impression and original ID-card from below collection.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and impo...

Broad redware dish rim fragment depicting a very fine and detailed shrub with berries. The relief decoration was taken from a separate mold and applied to the almost flat rim.
The fragment belongs to the rim of a large dish with a calculated diameter of ca. 39 cm (15.4 in). A groove runs along the outer edge.
Ceramic
Roman, North Africa, 250-300 AD
L. 7.4 cm (2.9 in)
H. 5.1 cm (2 in)
D. (estimated) 39 cm (15.4 in)
Superb modeling. Minor flakes ...

Scarce and beautiful early type of pottery Oil lamp, Roman late 1st. century AD.

The lamp is of the Loeschcke Typus VIII and displays a scene with Hercules with bow and club on the discus. Very high relief! Finely stamped with makers or workshop name: CIVA.ALE(?)

Size: 10,5 cm.

Condition: Choice, a crack repaired othervise intact with nothing missing.

Provenance: From a Rheinland-Pfalz collection, 1970-1999.

Amazing massive ushabti of the finest style of the Late period, Egypt, 26th - 30th Dynasty, approx. 664 - 332 BC.

Shown mummiform, this exceptional large and beautiful Ushabti, still untranslated, probably represents an important nobleman. As quite rarely seen, the othervise greenish faience, came out as almost black in the kiln, so it looks almost like basalt, very attractive!

Size: 21,5 cm. tall.

Condition: Finely preserved and intact but with a repaired ha...

A high quality intaglio, large for type and carved in an even coloured transperant carnelian stone, probably MUGHAL/SAFAVID, 16th.-17th. century AD.

Rather complicated oval cartouche, carved with artful caligraphic arabic within a double border.

Size: c. 21 mm. long and almost 6 mm. thick.

Condition: Extremely fine, completely intact with inky deposits.

Ex. L.P. Niederrhein, aquired before 1980.

POTTERY JAR
Biblical, Iron Age II, 800 - 586 BC
“Time of the Kings of ancient Israel”
First temple period

Beautifully made in a globular body with a cylindrical neck and two handles

Measurements:
Height: 14 cm
Width: 14 cm
Height on stand: 18.5 cm

Condition: Intact, not repaired and not restored.

Found in Hebron south of Jerusalem, Holy Land

ALL ITEMS THAT WE OFFER FOR SALE COME WITH CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY # 71438

ANCIENT BURNISHED POTTERY JUGLET
EARLY CYPRIOT, 3rd - 2nd Millennium BC

The juglet in nicely made in a globular body, cylindrical neck with flared funnel-like rim and highly decorated with incised decoration all around the neck and the entire body.

Measurements:
Height:11 cm
Diameter: 7.5 cm
Height on stand: 13 cm

Condition: Neck and handle re-attached as shown otherwise intact

ALL ITEMS THAT WE OFFER FOR SALE COME WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY

Large terracotta bull with prominent horns and a pronounced hump on the back. The holes for the wheel axles on the integrated base are indicative of a child's toy.
Also the small hole at the very front of the base, which was used to attach a pull cord.
Terracotta
Near Eastern, 1st millennium BC
H. 17.1 cm (6.7 in), L. 14.2 cm (5.6 in)
Encrusted and worn, but intact.
Private NYC collection, acquired 1970s-1980s. Joined by several labels from PB 84 (Parke...

Daunian krater with globular shaped body and funnel-shaped lip. The vertical loop handles on the shoulder area alternate with two red colored plates.
Brown-red and bluish geometric decoration around the body, wavy lines with ivy leaves at the handle area, hanging semicircles inside the funnel opening.
The geometric decoration is cold-applied and slightly rubbed in places.
For a related example, cf. Beazley Database, vase no. 1009620.
Ceramic
Daunian, Subgeomet...

A collection of 7 ancient beads, incl. massive early trailed beads from late Achaemenid to the Islamic period of the Ancient Near East, c. 4th. cent. BC- 8th cent. AD Three beads are very large, the 4 other beads are medium size to smaller. The largest bead is c. 32 mm. wide and massive. The smallest c. 13 mm. To be researched and should resell individually for more than $100 each!

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer (1926-2012), Oberländer aquired his massive and important collection...

A fine large greenish stone stamp seal of the gable form, popular in Northern Mesopotamia and Anatolia in the Ubaid period.

The seal shows a snake with two cute archaic heads.

Size: 32 mm. wide and 24 mm. tall.

Condition: Nice Very fine, intact with even wear, especially around the drilled holes from wearing.

This seal was aquired 1990 and comes with hard impression and original ID-card from below collection.

Provenance: Gustav Oberländer...

COPPER AXE-HEAD AND MACE HEAD
Canaanite, Late Chalcholithic - Early Bronze Age, 3500 - 2200 B.C.
Found in the Holy Land

Rare- ancient Canaanite copper Flat Axe-head and a Mace-head (Set)

Cast copper alloy flat / proto-palstave axehead from the early Bronze Age with a crescent-shaped blade. The body of the object thickens towards the middle and there are ridges along the sides, running perpendicularly to the blade. A slight ridge may be felt in the centre of the body where...

Native Apulian jug of globular body with tapering neck, everted rim and strap handle. The body, the neck and the outside of the base with circumferential bands of brown glaze. Top of the rim and outside of the handle also glazed. Standing on a flat disk base.
The Messapians were a South Italian tribe settled in the Salento area. Related to the Peucetes and the Daunians they belonged to the group of the Iapyges. These populations created important urban centers and had rather difficult rel...

BURNISHED POTTERY JAR
"Canaanite" Early Bronze Age, 3100 - 2000 BC

Red slip, globular body with a two loop handles and a rim folded outwards

Dimensions:
Height: 11 cm
Diameter: 9.5 cm
Height on stand: 15 cm

Condition: Good condition, not repaired and not restored

Found in Jericho "Jordan valley", Holy Land

Antiquities are valuable because of their historical and cultural values and especially because of their provenance in the biblical land...

A fine decorated bronze beaker, late Roman or Byzantine, ca. 5th.-8th. century AD.

The beaker with a high foot and conical shape as typical for late Roman and early medieval types; it's decorated with concenthric lines in the upperpart and slots that looks like key-holes on the lower part.

Size: 4,5 cm.

Condition: Intact, with attractive green patina.

Attic squat lekythos of ovoid body decorated with a net motif in black and crème.
The lekythos belongs to the Attic Bulas Group, which manufactured small vases. As a characteristic of the Bulas Group, the net ornament is applied directly on the clay ground.
The rim and the upper portion of the handle are glazed black; the reserved neck with black lines and vertical tongues in applied white.
The edge of foot with tiny black dots.
For a related example, cf. Beazley Ar...

A very attractive pottery bowl, in a very original state for type with caligraphy, Islamic Samenid Dynasty, ca. 9th.-10th. century.

A larger rounded bowl, decorated with wonderful caligraphy in black on cream glaze.

Size: 23 cm. wide and 8 cm. tall.

Condition: Extremely fine for type. Original crackled glaze with much patina. See the closeups for the condition of the glaze - very limited restoration of the glaze, if any!

Provenance: Important Danish Pr...

Wooden animal sarcophagus, perhaps intended for a serpent, fashioned as a shrine with nice cavetto cornices on top and a vertical sliding door in front.
Carved from a single piece of cedar with interior grooves to fit the front panel.
These kinds of shrines could house mortuary statues, mummified remains of animals or symbols associated with a particular deity.
For a snake coffin in the Brooklyn Museum, cf. inv. no. 37.1358E. For a shrew coffin with sliding door, cf. inv. no...

Lovely museum quality Andesite sculpture of Lord Ganesha, Early Hindu period, c. 9th.-10th. century AD.

The mischievous "Remover of Obstacles", Ganesha is worshipped to bless both the start and success of almost any undertaking. In Indonesia, he is still revered today as an important patron of the arts and sciences.

Deftly carved from a volcanic stone sourced locally on the island of Java, the four-armed deity seated on a lotus base, holding an axe, rosary, and bowl of swe...

Large kylix with the sketchily depiction of a woman in the tondo. The lady takes a smell at a flower in front of her face. The style is cursory, the details keenly applied with a brush.
Singular Italic imitation of a Greek cup, executed by a local artist of limited experience.
For a comparable cup from the Peucetian settlement of Ruvo, cf. fig. 6.6 in: Ada Riccardi. The Italic People of Ancient Apulia. Cambridge 2014.
The firing process was stopped too late turning to a warm...

An ancient Egyptian Scarab, c. 1000 BC, from the famous Mitry collection (see our Homepage). It is 1/2” long (13 mm) and made of steatite, an easy-to-carve stone that hardens when heated. Scarabs empowered life and resurrection and were often placed under mummy wrappings to protect the body and to help it resurrect. This Scarab comes in a jewelry display cup.

A fine Roman blown glass bottle in a deep amethyst color. Most likely a medicinal flask or unguent vial. It is evenly translucent with very little earthen deposits and encrustation. Quite rare and beautifully well preserved, it dates circa 1st-3rd century A.D. Measurements 4.75" x 3".

Wonderful quality cast bronze whetstone handle. Luristan culture, 9th-7th century BC. A large handle measuring c. 12 cm. in length. A cast bronze implement handle with rounded socket to hold a whetstone for sharpening knifes and swords.

In the form of a three-dimensional crouching ibex with long horns curling over its back. The animal is fully rendered with limbs curled under its body and careful attention paid to the details of head and horns. Handle pierced for attachment of wh...

BRONZE SHORT SWORD
BRONZE AGE, PERSIA, 1000 – 800 BC

This fantastic weapon has survived intact and enjoys a gorgeous dark olive green patina

Dimensions:
Length: 50 cm
Width: 4 cm

Condition: Intact, not repaired and not restored

Nicely mounted on a customs acrylic “Plexi-glass” display stand of high quality

ALL ITEMS THAT WE OFFER FOR SALE COME WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.

Adorable bronze figurine from the medieval period, Islamic, Seljuq Empire, 10th.-11th. century AD.

The Lion standing on erect with stylized double-legs and incised details of the mane and head.

A classic antiquity from this period and does not come better or more charming.

Size: 45 mm. long and 35 mm. tall.

Condition: Superb for type, with very nice metal and great patina.

Ex Bavarian private collection, Germany between 1974-2015.

A lovely blue ancient Egyptian Scarab, more than 2,300 years old, from the famous Mitry collection (see our Homepage). It is 1/2” long (12 mm) and made of steatite, an easy-to-carve stone that hardens when heated. Scarabs empowered life and resurrection and were often placed under mummy wrappings to protect the body and to help it resurrect. This Scarab comes in a jewelry display cup. Guaranteed – purchase price refunded if the piece is returned unaltered within 30 days from the date of purc...

An interesting scarab carved and polished in steatite stone, probably New Kingdom or earlier, 18th.-14th. cent. BC.

The somewhat stylized scarab finely carved in the base with an eye form.

Size: 14 mm.

Condition: Completely intact, nice Very fine with old deposits.

Ex. G. D. collection, Berlin and Bavaria, aquired between 1930 and 1970.

Comes with COA and hard imprint!

Rare bag-shaped glass vessel with a rod handle arching over the flared rim. The shoulder decorated with spiral trails. The concave base with a pontil scar.
Semi-transparent light green glass with layers of silvery iridescence.
Glass
Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, 3rd-4th century AD
H. 6.6 cm (2.6 in)
Intact and fine. Rare shape.
Swiss private collection Edgar A. Mills, prior to 1956.

The authenticity of the object is unconditionally guarante...