MONTROSE, Calif. – An Egyptian panel from a Book of the Dead dating to the late Ptolemaic Period (circa 664-30 B.C.) and a 280 million-year-old amphibian fossil with complete skeleton and soft tissue preservation are just two outstanding items in an antiquities sale set for Saturday, Oct. 19, by Ancient Resource Auctions, starting at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.
The online-only auction is packed with over 400 lots of fine, museum-quality ancient and ethnographic antiquities, to include authentic and well-provenanced ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, Islamic, Byzantine and Pre-Columbian antiquities and ethnographic items, including an outstanding selection of natural history and fossil items.
“We’re featuring an incredible selection of antiquities from a wide array of cultures,” said Gabriel Vandervort of Ancient Resource Auctions. “In addition, we’re also offering many fabulous fossils. Collectors will scoop up wonderful pieces at really great prices.”
The ancient Egyptian panel from a Book of the Dead (above), 36 inches wide by 12 inches tall and nicely housed in a rectangular frame, is a lovely example of an important part of the Egyptian funerary kit. The panel features a central vignette depicting the deceased standing before Osiris, holding a jar with offerings, with additional offerings atop a table between them (est. $30,000-$45,000).
The amphibian fossil is that of archegosaurus, which once inhabited the Permian swamps of what is now western Germany. These amphibians predate the dinosaurs. Fine grade fossils of Archegosaurus are in great demand by advanced collectors and museums. Complete examples like this one (below), with an overall length of 41¼ inches, are exceedingly rare (est. $35,000-$45,000).
A rare, museum-class giant callopterus fish fossil from the Toarcian Period (183-175.6 million years ago), also unearthed in Germany, is impeccably preserved, with stunning fins and a perfectly spread and intact caudal (tail) fin. The limestone slab, 37½ inches long, is heavy and a half-inch thick. The callopterus was a large Jurassic predatory fish (est. $18,000-$25,000).
A remarkable Roman marble head of a panther, from the first or second century, 7½ inches tall, with extremely well-modeled facial details including deep-set eyes, elaborate ears and an open mouth with teeth, should bring $16,000-$20,000. The sculpture, carved from a beautifully veiny marble, would have been part of a larger marble furniture fragment, most likely a table leg.
A well detailed Greek terra-cotta relief scene from the fifth century B.C., depicting two women seated on ornate chairs and facing each other, appearing to be in conversation as they spin a fiber into yarn, is estimated to hit $8,000-$12,000. This type of mold-made, partially in the round terra-cotta relief would likely have been affixed to a large funerary vessel for a wealthy person.
An important Taino mushroom-capped anthropic sculpture from around A.D. 1000-1500, possibly depicting Deminan Caracaracol, one of the four creation brothers of Taino mythology, should change hands for $6,000-$10,000. Complex symbolic glyphs decorate the cap, head and lower back of the 15½-inch-tall sculpture, which is made of magnetite and has a strong magnetic field.
An Egyptian polychrome Ptah-Sokar-Osiris from the Late Period (circa 1075-974 B.C.), depicted mummiform on a rectangular integral base and wearing a tripartite headdress surmounted by a crown of ostrich feathers and a solar disc above cow’s horns, 25¼ inches tall, has an estimate of $6,000-$9,000. The figure is in excellent condition, with much of the original paint preserved.
An Egyptian deep blue glazed ushabti (small item taking the form of a mummified human figure, in glazed earthenware), from the Third Intermediate Period Dynasty 21 (circa 1075-974 B.C.), 5¾ inches tall, is expected to reach $6,000-$8,000. The figure, wearing a striated wig and with arms folded at chest, is a gorgeous example, with black details and a vivid blue glaze.
A nice Near Eastern bronze horse bit with elaborate cheekpieces, each in the form of griffins, one of the most popular hybrid creatures depicted in the art of Western Asia, should command $3,500-$4,500. The body is long, with a central hole for the bit, with loops at the rump and shoulders fore attachment of the check straps. The overall total bit is about 6¾ inches in length.
For details contact Ancient Resource Auctions at 818-425-9633 or ancientresourceauctions@yahoo.com.
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