A super rare Denar of Caius Caligula of the second emission,minted in Lyon between 37-38 A.D. Bare head to the right,with curls and hair till the neck and deep concave eyes.
AGRIPPINA MATER CAIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS,Head of Agrippina to the right.
Mint:Lugdunum
Size:17-18 mms
Weight:3.64 grms
Ruler:Caligula
Date:1.9.37-21.9.37 A.D.
Monumental ptolemaic Kantharos
A very rare item is this ptolemaic 3rd Century B.C. Kantharos.Two handled wine cup painted with ivy vine around the mid section was derived from Greek vessels of the period. The Ptolemies worshipped four main gods,Afrodite-Isis,Eros-Horus-child,Dionysos and Heracles. On the Getty jewellery,the ivy plant is omnipresent,ivy was the holy plant of Dionysos and a common symbol of the god.Ptolemy IV ,who indulged in writing plays even saw himself as a New Dionysos and had an image of an ivy leaf tattooed on his body. The Ptolemies saw traditional representations of deities as an opportunity to insert iconography that was identified with their dynasty.By associating themselves visually with the gods,they communicated their divine heritage to their subjects.
Ptolemaic pottery is very rare and not much researched.Im grateful to Mr David Liebert,a very professionel New York based dealer. This Kantharos is intact,although some of the burned glazing has gone.
Material:clay,terracotta Measure: ca 16 cms high,20.5 cms wide at the handles Origin:Egypt,from a NY dealer Culture:Ptolemaic Egypt Date: 250 B.C.
ARSINOE II
The Queen is watching straight ,the hair is in her typical melon coiffure as all her portraits show her with that hair fashion.She wears a Stephane,a crownlike diadem reserved for the King or Queen only. Thick eye lids,you can still see the nicely executed pupil.Her cheekbones are rather well fed,as mostly Ptolemies were heavily overweighted.
Marble head of the ptolemaic queen Arsinoe II.Damaged and sintered,parts of the chin are missing. Under the head is a hole for attachment on a statuette.
A Kherub found in the sea in front of the lebanese coast. The Kherubim were jewish guardian angels,the purpose of it is unknown,I suppose it was a talisman. although only 16 mms high,the face of this little gold statuette is astonishing impressive. Material:thin beaten gold sheet Culture:Israelite Weight:0.16 grms Height:16 mms Date:600-300 B.C.
Close up from the backside: here you clearly see how ancient gold was worked.Ancient gold was never rolled,it was beaten over a lether surface,and so you can see here the typ. leather pattern.The gold sheet was beaten over a matrix and details were finished by hand carving.
LYDIA
Fragment of a lydian earring:
a typical 7 th century earring from Lydia. The hoop has broken but the main part survived.A small size ladies earring, the middle of the ring body is decorated with a granulation and at the upper part is a second granulation. Material:Gold Measure:10 mms Weight: 0.63 gr Culture:lydian Date:700-600 B.C.
IDOL SECTION
ANATOLIA
A strange anatolian idol,between seal and statuette.Mother goddess or Ana Tanrica called. Stil. woman,without arms as mostly such idols.At the lower part is a seal in a cross hatch pattern engraved at both sides. The figur was cleaned as it was heavily coverd with sinter,still visible on the picture. Material:black stone,heavy sintered Size:44 mms high from Kültepe Date:ca 2800-2000 B.C.
HUMBABA
Another idol,carved in Alabaster. This idol could represent the demon god Humbaba,clearly visible the teeth,upright and downwards. A crude cultic work.Humbaba was the guardian of the cedar forest in Lebanon and was killed by Gilgamesh. Material:Alabaster Size:ca 29 mms high from the Karum,assyrian colony in Turkey Date:ca 1850-1500 B.C. Culture:assyrian
ZEUS Small statuette of Zeus,father of all gods.He holds a patera in his left and the right hand under his himation. An early archaic work,details washed away. Material:Terracotta with sinter Size:13 cm Culture:greek Date:ca 450 B.C.
GOLD ROSETTE An early greek gold Applique Light gold applique,beaten over gold sheet,with dots and Spirals on it. Material:Gold Size:16mms Weight:0.34 grm Culture:Mycenaean Date: 1400-1100
Close up: Spirals and dots are hammered over a matrix,inside was cut out a hole for attach it to a leather ground or so. The uper rim is wrapped over and ends in a decoration. The hole piece is covered with earth sinter.
ETRURIAN VOTIVE FOOT
A small votive foot,with astonishing details.It could have been made in Ephesos,as there was an etruscan merchant colony. Material:red clay with sinter Size:44 / 28 mms Origin:Smyrna Culture:Etruscan Date:500-250 B.C.
PERSEPHONE BUST
Mini bust of the underworld goddes Persephone.Big open eyes with crude locks,she wears a hat. This bust has a little opening down,it was put on a stick for display in a temple. Well preserved in a mint state.
A small votive head,depicting the greek earth goddess Demeter. Impressive face with big nose and lips,the coiffure is in two parts with falling locks and a headdress. Behind cracked due to some calc rests in the clay.
Glass stones from a roman board game.Nicely preserved with iris.
Material:Glass Measure: ca 1-2 cms Culture:Roman Date:100-300 A.D.
ARCHAIC IONIAN OIL LAMP
Archaic oil lamps are very rare.It`s simply made with a core standing up in the middle section.
Material:Terracotta Measure:10.3 cm long,8.2 cm wide,2.7 cm high Origin:Teos Culture:Greek Date: 600-450 B.C.
CALIGULA
A very rare terracotta mini bust of Caius Julius Germanicus,called Caligula. Although just a crude terracotta work,you can identify him clearly due to his hair locks. One eye is full of sinter.This little bust was found in the province Asia Minor.
Material:terracotta Size:25/18 mms Weight:8.45 grms Date:37-41 A.D. Culture:Roman
Here a museum statuette of Caligula as a comparison piece: Observe the hair locks on the right temple. Those hair locks were important that time,for making a portrait of a ruler,as there were no pictures,so they made an original bust in Rome,imported some copies to the province,and in the province,they made copies after the copies from Rome.
The locks of Caligulas hair style is sketched here clearly.Each typus was different,the busts in Spain had a little bit different style and so the typus from England.All common is the high fore head and the short nose,the eyes are deeply in caves.
SUMER
SUMERIAN BIRD AMULETT
A little Amulett in form of a bird,head turned backwards. The tail is highlighted by three carved lines.At the bottom another two carvings,maybe it was used as a seal also.The big eyes may have served for suspension.
Material:basalt stone Size: 25 mms long,ca 14 mms high Culture:Sumer Date:3600-2900 B.C. Origin:Central Anatolia
SUMERIAN FISH
Another simple Amulett is this Fish,with a very impressive face.After five thousand years,you can still see the nicely carved lines in his face. The tail has a hole for hanging it around the neck.This fish was in the purse of an old man and served as a talisman still!
Material: Basalt Stone Size: 27 mms long Culture:Sumer Date: 3600-3000 B.C. Origin:Central Anatolia
NEO- ASSYRIAN RING
A very heavy and sturdy fingerring,around the band decorated with crude lines. Dark -green patina. Material:Bronze Culture:Assyria Weight:12.08 grms Date:1000-609 B.C.
ELAMITE RHYTON
An original drinking Rhyton with cuprite patina,in the shape of a bull. The eyes are covered with gold painting.
Total view of the Rhyton.
A Detail of the pattern.The open mouth of the Rhyton is decorated with triangles and lines.
Material:Bronze with Copper Size: 17.5 cms long Weight: Origin: Iran Culture:Elamite Date: 2000-1500 B.C.
APULIAN KANTHAROS
Apulian Kantharos with the lady of Fashion,wearing an earring. Colours faded away due to long time burial,the foot has a stress crack,otherwise a mint example.
Detail view: Lady of fashion with earring,her hair nicely arranged ending in a dot.
Material:Terracotta Seize: 16.7 cms high,16 cms wide at the handles Culture:Magna Graecia,Apulia Date: 320-275 B.C.
Achaemenidian bronze bowl
A very early bowl from Persia.Hemispherical corpus with a cannelled middle section,off set by an elegant wide rim. With nice dark green patina and emerald green highlights.
A close view to the middle section.This piece was hammered out of one single bronze sheet to this form by antique smiths.
A very hard to find bust of this infamous roman emperor. His reign was brief an charismatic,first beloved by the people,he became very unpopular at the end of his reign,he was assassinated by his praetorian guards due to a conspiracy. After his death,mostly of his bust were destroyed or reshaped into Claudius busts. This was called "Damnatio memoriae" by the Romans and often happened with emperors who found an unhappy end.
The profile of my book clearly shows the facial features of the emperor Caligula.
Material:Bronze Copper Seize: 31 mms high Origin:US Market Culture:Roman Date: ca 37-41 A.D.
A super rare Denar of Caius Caligula of the second emission,minted in Lyon between 37-38 A.D.
AGRIPPINA MATER CAIUS CAESAR AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS,Head of Agrippina to the right.
Monumental ptolemaic Kantharos
Ptolemaic pottery is very rare and not much researched.Im grateful to Mr David Liebert,a very professionel New York based dealer.
Material:clay,terracotta
Marble head of the ptolemaic queen Arsinoe II.Damaged and sintered,parts of the chin are missing.
ISRAEL AND THE LEVANT:
Close up from the backside:
Fragment of a lydian earring:
Another idol,carved in Alabaster.
ZEUS
GOLD ROSETTE
Close up:
ETRURIAN VOTIVE FOOT
PERSEPHONE BUST
DEMETER VOTIVE HEAD
GAMING STONES
CALIGULA
Here a museum statuette of Caligula as a comparison piece:
The locks of Caligulas hair style is sketched here clearly.Each typus was different,the busts in Spain had a little bit different style and so the typus from England.All common is the high fore head and the short nose,the eyes are deeply in caves.
SUMERIAN BIRD AMULETT
SUMERIAN FISH
A very heavy and sturdy fingerring,around the band decorated with crude lines.
An original drinking Rhyton with cuprite patina,in the shape of a bull.
Total view of the Rhyton.
A Detail of the pattern.The open mouth of the Rhyton is decorated with triangles and lines.
Material:Bronze with Copper
Apulian Kantharos with the lady of Fashion,wearing an earring.
Detail view:
Material:Terracotta
A very early bowl from Persia.Hemispherical corpus with a cannelled middle section,off set by an elegant wide rim.
A close view to the middle section.This piece was hammered out of one single bronze sheet to this form by antique smiths.
Material:Copper/Bronze
GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR GERMANICUS CALIGULA
The profile of my book clearly shows the facial features of the emperor Caligula.
Material:Bronze Copper
