By Carter B. Horsley
This auction is highlighted by many spectacular works from different ancient cultures that should be of great interest to animal lovers.
Perhaps the most spectacular is Lot 331, shown above.
Egyptian art can be very, very spectacular, but the greatest works rarely appear on the auction block.
Lot 331 is a stunning example of how sensational Egyptian art can be, even though it is as spectacular as King Tut’s treasures or impressive as some large granite sculptures. It is, however, stunning in its bold color and dramatic and unusual combination of materials. It consists of three Egyptian gilt wood, glass and faience cobras, New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII-XX, 1550-1070 B.C. Each of the cobras, which are separated mounted on wood stands, were probably used to decorate a frieze on a piece of furniture or a shrine, according to the catalogue, has a wooden body covered in gold foil, with blue faience heads, some preserving inlaid eyes, surmounted by solar-disks, the flaring hoods inlaid with dark blue, red and turquoise colored glass.
This lot, which comes from the Crescent Gallery in Tokyo, has a conservative estimate of $40,000 to $50,000. It failed to sell.
Another stunning work is Lot 684, a 6 ½-inch-high Bactrian silver cylindrical cup, circa late 3rd to Early 2nd Millennium B.C., shown above. The hammered vessel, which stands on a low foot, has four goats in relief in profile with projecting heads framed by great curving horns. The work is in excellent condition with fine detailing although one of the goats is missing part of a leg. It has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 696, an Iranian bronze ornament with gold ibex appliqués, circa 1500-1200 B.C., which is 8 9/16 inches in diameter. It has a conservative estimate of $15,000 to $20,000. It sold for $14,100 including the buyer's premium as do all results in this article. A smaller and less spectacular but more detailed roundel is Lot 697, a Middle Elamite bitumen work, circa 14th Century B.C., that is 4 inches in diameter and shows the heads six reclining rams enclosing a 16-petalled rosette on the other side. The catalogue notes that there is "an exact parallel on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art…, which still preserves the gold and silver foil. The lot has a conservative estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. It sold for $18,800.
Other fine works with animals are Lots 329, 354, 355, 356, 609, 703, 704 and 732.
Lot 329 is a pleasant and simple, but very graceful Egyptian granite relief, New Kingdom, Dynasty XIX-XX, 1307-1070 B.C., of a duck, 12 ¾ inches high, which has an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. It sold for $19,995.
Lot 354 is an Egyptian bronze falcon, Late Period, Dynasty XXVI-XXX, 664-343 B.C., that is 6 inches high and has a conservative estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. It sold for $21,150. This "black bird" of the sort that was the focus of "The Maltese Falcon" movie, is finely sculpted with nice incisions for the wing feathers.
Lot 355 is an Egyptian bronze finial of Selket, Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty XXI-XXV, 1070-664 B.C., 4 5/8 inches high, shows the anthropomorphic scorpion goddess crouching on a stand on her elbows, her arms extended, the tail in striking position. The work has a conservative estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. It sold for $5,288.
Lot 356 is an Egyptian bronze seated cat, Late Period, Dynasty XXVI-XXX, 664-343 B.C., 9 ¼ inches high, that is adorned with a gold earring and has an estimate of $25,000 to $30,000. It sold for $82,250.
Lot 609 is a very fine pair of Roman bronze lion head handles, circa Early 3rd Century, A.D., 4 7/8 inches high, that has a conservative estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. It sold for $9,988.
Lot 672 is a superb pair of Roman bronze rein guides, circa 2nd Century A.D., 2 3/8 inches high. Each guide has two painters with their heads turned out standing on a horseshoe-shaped guide with a head of Io in a roundel on either side of the crossbar. This lot has a conservative estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. It sold for $3,525.
Lot 703 is a Persian goat finial and stand, circa 8th to 7th Century BC., which is 5 1/8 inches high and has an estimate of $5,000 to $8,000. It sold for $4,700.
Lot 704 is a Luristan bronze bowl, circa 10th to 9th Century, B.C., and is 5 1/8 inches high and has a frieze in two registers, the lower with seven short-horned goats leaping to the right, and the upper with goats frolicking to the left with their heads thrown back. This lot has a conservative estimate of $7,000 to $9,000. It sold for $8,225.
Lot 732 is a Sasanian gilt bronze attachment depicting a winged horse, circa 5th to 6th Century A.D., that is 3 1/8 inches long and has a conservative estimate of $2,000 to $3,000. It failed to sell.
There are many very nice Egyptian works of art that do not depict animals.
Lot 349 is an Egyptian granite relief, Late Period, Dynasty XXX, 380-343 B.C., that shows a pharaoh finely sculpted in sunk-relief with one hand raised, 18 ½ inches high. It has an estimate of $80,000 to $100,000. It sold for $82,250.
Lot 353 is an Egyptian bronze figure of Osiris, Late Period, Dynasty XXVI, 664-525 B.C., 13 inches high, that is hollow cast with eyes inlaid with white glass paste, obsidian and gold and details in gold including the eyebrows and the outline of the face. The work, which is in excellent condition, has a conservative estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $41,125.
Lot 395 is a small and fine Cycladic marble reclining female figure, 6 ¾ inches long, Early Spedos Variety, circa 2600 to 2500 B.C., that is in good condition but missing its feet. It has an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $76,325.
There are numerous very good Greek vases. Lot 433, an Attic Black-Figured stamnos is attributed to the Michigan Painter, circa Late 6th Century B.C. The 7 ¼-inch high vase shows a chariot race between three galloping teams and has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It failed to sell. Lot 441 is an Attic stamnos in Six’s Technique, workshop of the Antimenese Painter, circa 510 B.C., 9 5/8 inches high. The vase depicts Theseus, the Minotaur and Ariadne and has no handles, a type of which only four others are known, according to the catalogue. It has an estimate of $300,000 to $400,000. It sold for $490,000.
Lot 454 is a very lovely 16 1/8-inch-high, Greek marble figure of Aphrodite, Late Hellenistic Period, circa 1st Century B.C., that has a conservative estimate of $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $127,000.
Lot 517 is a good Etruscan bronze warrior, Umbria, circa mid 5th Century B.C., that was once in the collection of Dr. Elie Borowski. The 7 15/16-inch-high statue has an estimate of $35,000 to $45,000. It failed to sell.
The cover illustration of the catalogue is Lot 578, a Roman wall-painting fragment, circa mid 1st Century, A.D., 16 inches high, that shows Eros flying with outstretched wings. The lyrical and colorful painting has a conservative estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. It sold for $28,000.
Lot 588 is a Roman silver platter, circa mid 1st Century, A.D., 12 ¼ inches in diameter, which has two crescentic handles each with a mask of Silenus flanked with dolphins. The lot has an ambitious estimate of $500,000 to $700,000, especially since Sotheby’s has a slightly smaller but much more ornate platter (Lot 98, Sotheby’s, Antiquities auction, Dec. 8, 2000) from the same period with an estimate of only $120,00 to $180,000. Lot 588 failed to sell.
Lot 616 is a very fine Roman bronze figure of Asclepius, circa 1st Century, A.D., 4 1/16 inches high. It has a slightly ambitious estimate of $16,000 to $20,000. It sold for $21,150.
A larger depiction of Asclepius, the god of healing, is Lot 618, a Roman marble statue, circa Late 1st to Early 2nd Century, A.D., that is 53 inches high and has an estimate of $150,000 to $200,000. It failed to sell.
The auction has four impressive, large Roman marble mosaic panels, circa 3rd to 4th Century, A.D. Lot 649 is 78 1/8 inches long and shows a bearded head of Oceanus in the center flanked by a charging tiger on the left and a leaping stag on the right. This lot, which is the back-cover illustration of the catalogue, has a conservative estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. It sold for $49,350.
"Today's sale confirmed not only the strength of the Antiquities market, but also Christie's position as the worldwide leader in this field," said G. Max Bernheimer, the head of Christie's Antiquities separtment, adding that Greek vases continued to perform "extremely well" and that "prices for Roman art remain strong" and "as always, Egyptian works of arts sold well."
Of the 431 offered lots, 65 percent were sold for a sale total of $3,891,948.