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Egyptian limestone relief

Ancient Resource Auctions to offer Egyptian limestone relief Dec. 7

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Egyptian limestone relief
Egyptian limestone relief dating to the Old Kingdom (circa 2200 B.C.) depicting a pair of kilted men leading antelope, 18½in tall. Estimate: $7,000-$12,000. Ancient Resource Auctions image

MONTROSE, Calif. – An outstanding Egyptian limestone relief dating to the Old Kingdom (circa 2200 B.C.), a fantastic life-size Roman marble head of an athletic victor (second-third century A.D.), and a set of four large Egyptian alabaster canopic jars (Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.) are just a few of the offerings in Ancient Resource Auctions’ auction scheduled for Dec. 7. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

Officially titled Auction #81 – an Exceptional Holiday Antiquities Sale – the online-only auction has a start time of 9 a.m. Pacific and features over 425 lots of authentic Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, Holy Land, Byzantine, Asiana and Pre-Columbian antiquities, plus ethnographic art and a fine selection of fossils. It’s the final auction of the year for Ancient Resource Auctions.

“This sale features an incredible selection of antiquities from a wide variety of cultures,” said Gabriel Vandervort, owner of Ancient Resource Auctions, “and I can’t say enough about the fantastic selection of fossils we’re excited to be offering. Buyers are bound to get some really wonderful pieces at great prices, and just about every lot would make a perfect holiday present.”

The Old Kingdom Egyptian limestone relief (above) depicts a pair of kilted men leading antelope, both grasping their respective animal by the horns. The scene is beautifully carved in relief on a horizontal ground line. Below the main scene is the uppermost portion of a scene depicting cattle, including calves frolicking about. The 18½-inch-tall relief should bring $7,000-$12,000.

The life-size Roman marble head of an athletic victor is depicted wearing the pine crown of the Isthimian games. The features are skillfully carved, with wavy hair and a detailed curly beard. The head is perched on an old, heavy stone base, likely black marble. The overall height is just over 22 inches tall. The piece displays beautifully and carries an estimate of $30,000-$45,000.

Egyptian limestone relief
Life-size Roman marble head of a victorious athlete. Estimate: $30,000-$45,000. Ancient Resource Auctions image

The set of four Egyptian alabaster canopic jars, each one carved from a creamy stone with horizontal veins, is expected to realize $12,000-$18,000. The largest jar is 8 inches tall. Canopic jars were part of Egyptian funerary equipment and were used to store the organs of the deceased. Often, the lid was made in the form of the head of one of the Sons of Horus, a protective deity.

Egyptian limestone relief
Set of four large Egyptian alabaster canopic jars (Late Period, circa 664-332 BC), each one carved from a creamy stone with horizontal veins, the tallest 8 inches. Estimate: $12,000-$18,000. Ancient Resource Auctions image

A gorgeous Apulian red-figure bell krater from the fourth century, 6½ inches tall, one side featuring a striding nude satyr wearing a beaded harness and the other side a heavily robed female with diadem, has an estimate of $5,000-$7,000. Also, a lovely, circa first or second century A.D. bronze figure of a winged Eros, depicted nude and wearing a winged helmet, reaching back to draw an arrow from his quiver, should command $4,500-$5,500.

Egyptian limestone relief
Apulian red-figure bell krater from the fourth century, 6½in tall. Estimate: $5,000-$7,000. Ancient Resource Auctions image

A spectacular and complete woolly rhinoceros skull fossil from the Pleistocene era (circa 120,000-20,000 years ago), one of the most famous beasts of the last Ice Age, found in Belgium in the 1960s, 32 inches tall, is estimated to hit $40,000-$60,000. Also, a beautiful Egyptian bronze figure of a striding Harpokrates (Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.), depicted nude on an integral base, 7¾ inches tall, should garner $8,000-$12,000.

Egyptian limestone relief
Spectacular woolly rhinoceros skull fossil from the Pleistocene era (circa 120,000-20,000 years ago), found in Belgium in the 1960s, 32in tall. Estimate: $40,000-$60,000. Ancient Resource Auctions image

A stunning Egyptian painted cartonnage funerary mask (Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.), the face having a deep red skin tone and with black detailing to the eyes and brow, with a feathered headdress, on a display stand, should go for $6,000-$9,000. The same estimate has been assigned a circa 1200-664 B.C. Egyptian wooden scribe’s palette, rectangular, with six circular depressions containing pigment and central recessions for reed brushes.

Egyptian limestone relief
Egyptian painted cartonnage funerary mask (Late Period, circa 664-332 B.C.), face having a deep red skin tone and with black detailing to the eyes and brow. Estimate: $6,000-$9,000. Ancient Resource Auctions image

A rare Etruscan bronze helmet of Negau type (circa 450-350 B.C.), of the type believed to have been used by priests and likely buried for ceremonial reasons, formed from sheet bronze, 7½ inches tall, has an estimate of $15,000-$25,000. Also, a late 19th century oil on canvas painting by the Dutch realist painter Anton (Anthonij) Mauve (1838-1888), of sheep in a landscape setting, signed, framed and dated 1875, should hit $10,000-$20,000.

For details contact Ancient Resource Auctions at 818-425-9633 or ancientresourceauctions@yahoo.com.

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