A Roman Skyphos & A Collection of Gem Stones to Lead Christie's Antiquities & Ancient Jewelry Sale A ROMAN SKYPHOS AND A COLLECTION OF GEM STONES FROM A 19TH CENTURY EUROPEAN COLLECTION TO LEAD
CHRISTIE’S ANTIQUITIES AND ANCIENT JEWELRY SALES
New York – Christie’s New York is delighted to offer two beautiful sales of Antiquities and Ancient
Jewelry on December 6. Both will regale collectors and art lovers with an exceptional array of ancient
art and jewelry, ranging from Egypt and the Near East to Greece and Rome. Antiquities features
multiple highlights including a stunning Egyptian sandstone head of Pharaoh Ramesses II; an
Anatolian marble idol dating back to the early 6th millennium, exquisitely modern and seductively
tactile in its appearance; and a wonderfully refined Roman skyphos illustrating the ‘Sacrifice of
Iphigeneia.’ Ancient Jewelry, which never fails to subtly attract the discerning eye, counts among its
highlight a Roman gold nicolo key ring; an extraordinary ensemble of gem stones from a Private
European Collection collected in the 19th century and offered now in different lots; and a very proud
and impressive necklace made of twenty-one amethyst ring stones.
Egyptian Highlights
An Egyptian monumental sandstone head of the Pharaoh Ramesses II, New Kingdom,
Dynasty XI, Reign of Ramesses II, 1290-1224 B.C – This impressive portrait of
Pharaoh Ramesses II depicts the king wearing the Double Crown and a falsebeard
fastened with chin-straps. The eyes are deeply carved and angled
forward, which given the fact that this statue would have been towering high
above the viewer, meant that every observer would feel the penetrating gaze
of the pharaoh was directly aimed at him or her. Estimate: $400,000-600,000
An Egyptian bronze scepter finial, New Kingdom, Dynasty XIX, 1307-1196 B.C
Cast in the form of a jackal head, this little head simply demands attention.
The alert upright pointed ears, the eyes inlaid in obsidian and white stone,
the long neck arched at the poll and the interior hollow, this striking
bronze Scepter would have been used as attachment to a staff.
Estimate: $80,000-120,000
An Egyptian alabaster vase inscribed for Pepi I, Old Kingdom, Dynasty VI, Reign of
Pepi I, 2289-2255 B.C – This simple but elegant vase, shaped out of
alabaster, becomes all the more attractive because of its splendid
provenance. The base on which it rests provides an indisputable link to
the renowned collection of Lady Valerie Susie Meux, a well-known 19th
century collector whose collection was the topic of E.A.W. Budge’s Some
Account of the Collection of Egyptian Antiquities in the Possession of Lady Meux, of
Theobald’s Park, Waltham Cross, in which the present vase is featured.
Estimate: $80,000-120,000
Near Eastern Art Highlights
An Anatolian marble idol, Neolithic Period, circa early 6th Millennium B.C
Staggeringly powerful, this superb figure features an impressive globular
body, and is a superb example reflecting the tradition of schematic
human idols. Everything about this statue is a magnificent ode, a
brilliant homage to fertility, nature, passion and life. Estimate: $300,000-
400,000
A Bactrian composite stone seated female figure, circa late 3rd Millennium B.C
This beautifully rendered seated female figure is nothing if not enigmatic.
The delicate oval face with a small mouth, slightly hooked nose and
incised eyes, catch the viewer unawares and
