Ancient Chinese Tang Dynasty Sancai Glazed Pottery Horse & Archer Rider, 618 AD

Greek black-glaze ribbed mug Athens, circa 475-425 B.C. terracotta. The mug is of a straight-sided, cylindrical form with seven horizontal ribs and an applied ring handle just below the lip. The base is flat with a slightly raised foot running around the circumference. The very centre of the underside is reserved and with traces of ochre pigment. Intact, some slight chipping to the glaze touched in, areas of incrustation to the base and interior. This strikingly modern piece is a fine example of Attic black...

Greek Black Glaze Kantharos Circa Early 4th Century B.C. Terracotta With old label reading ‘No. 133’ Height: 8.8 cm This 4th Century B.C. kan...

Corinthian helmet with Bull Horns and Lotus Flower Decoration. Archaic Period, c.550-500 BC. Cast, hammered and incised bronze. An exceptionally well preserved example of one of the most iconic ancient Greek...

Athenian Black-glaze perfume pot with inscription Athens, c. 425-400 B.C. Terracotta Measures: Height: 9cm; diameter across lip: 7.5cm; width including handle: 9cm This 5th Cen...

South Arabian Alabaster Inscription Calcite Alabaster circa 1st century A.D. ‘’Consequently, neither white marble of Paros nor any other stone which men admire can be compared with the precious stones of Arabia, since their whiteness is most brilliant, their weight the heaviest, and their smoothness leaves no room for other stones to surpass them.’’ - Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Book II, 52.9 This inscription, finely worked on an alabaster tablet, is a remarkably well preserved example of Ancient South Arabian script, with its distinct bold, angular forms, written in the Qatabanic dialect - that is, the dialect spoken by the people of the kingdom of Qataban, which ruled much of modern day Yemen from the 7th Century B.C. to the 2nd Century A.D. The text, which reads: ‘[... ...]sa?d and Ma?add?i- / (of the lineage) of Hawfa- / She entrusted Anb- / against any malfeasance (which would remove it) from its place’ - indicates that it likely served to commemorate a temple offering. The quality of the script, incised so neatly into the surface of the alabaster, tells us that this piece was commissioned by somebody of considerable wealth and prestige, employing a scribe of equally considerable expertise. South Arabia was known throughout the ancient world for its incredible wealth - so much so that the Romans termed the region ‘Arabia Felix’ - literally, ‘Happy, or Fortunate, Arabia.’ That wealth was built largely on the trade of spices and incense, in which the Kingdom of Qataban played a major part. According to Pliny the Elder, this was the sole country through which frankincense could be exported, first being collected in the city of Shabwa, on the South Arabian coast, and from there travelling by camel up to Gaza, to be shipped all across the Mediterranean - not only that, but all growers of myrrh across Arabia were required to give a quarter of their yield to the king of the Qatabanians. As such, the kingdom became exceedingly rich and powerful, and Pliny goes on to tell us that ‘The nations of the Larendani and the Catabani, and the Gebanitæ [...] occupy a great number of towns, the largest of which are Nagia, and Thomna (the capital of Qataban) with sixty-five temples, a number which fully bespeaks its size.’ Because of the nature of its exports, frankincense in particular - the ‘sweat of of the gods’ according to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and perhaps most famous as one of the three gifts brought to the newborn Christ - being closely associated with the divine, South Arabia’s reputation in antiquity was as a mysterious, almost sacred, and - crucially - extraordinarily wealthy region, at the very edge of the known world; in the words of Herodotus: ‘’Enough of marvels, and yet the land of Arabia gives off a scent as sweet as if divine.’’ This inscription invokes the protection of god Anbay, the judge-oracle of the chief god ‘Amm, who he served as an attendant. Much of what we know of the religious life of the ancient South Arabians comes to us from early Islamic texts, describing what is known in Islamic scholarship as ‘Jahiliyyah’ - the age before the advent of Islam in Arabia. What comes across in much of these texts is that these religious practices placed a great deal of emphasis on sacred stones, perhaps linked to the brilliance of the alabaster which is local to the region, and which a great many of the cult-objects produced in this time are made from. Hisham ibn-Al-Kalbi’s Book of Idols records: ‘’The Arabs were passionately fond of worshipping idols [...] Whenever a traveller stopped at a place or station in order to rest or spend the night, he would select for himself four stones, pick out the finest among them and adopt it as his god, and use the remaining three as supports for his cooking-pot.’’ This inscription was once in the collection of the intrepid British-Australian travel...

A pair of monumental limestone sphinxes of Pharaoh Nectanebo I, from the processional avenue of the Serapeum of Memphis, 30th Dynasty, circa 379 - 360 BC. The sphinxes of the Serapeum have captivated travellers since Roman times. However, despite their significance, they are conspicuously absent from the collections of most major museums. Indeed, their existence in private hands is so improbable, and their imitations so numerous, that the present sphinxes were assumed to be modern copies throughout their recent ownership history. Finally recognised and conserved after an extraordinary chance discovery at a garden furniture sale...

Standing horse from the Tang Dynasty 618-907 AD. Beautiful sculptural piece of art from the Chinese ancient period of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) featuring the finely sculptural figure of a horse, carefully made of earthenware clay pottery. The horse is standing in a very elegant and majestic position striding the four legs crossed. The animal has a slightly arched neck to the left looking forward and its extremely well modeled. The body is embellished with a beautiful saddle and intricate harnesses. The surface is treated with applications of natural color pigments such; white, light red and grays. Has a measurements of 343 mm by 140 mm by 356 mm (13.5 x 5.5 x14 Inches) (34.3 x 14 x 35.6 Cm). Tang dynasty or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Tend Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a the golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivaled that of the Han dynasty. The Li family founded the dynasty, seizing power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire and inaugurating a period of progress and stability in the first half of the dynasty's rule. The dynasty was formally interrupted during 690–705 when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne, proclaiming the Wu Zhou dynasty...

A Tang dynasty sancai (three color) glazed pottery model of a Taoist official, TL tested by Ralf Kotalla - worldwide oldest private laboratory specialized for genuine thermoluminesce...

Magnificent standing horse in orange terracotta and traces of painting. With a finely decorated saddle and with the mane and tail hair braided. TL Test by Ralph Kotalla Lab NE: 09K12...

Magnificent prancing horse in orange terracotta with traces of polychrome paint. Springing its right leg with a lively position and an expressive look. With a finely decorated saddle...

Magnificent Mythological Being "Chimera" with Human Face and Flaming Rays Halo. Orange Terracotta with Traces of Stucco and Painting. This creature is commonly known as Pixiu. Fierc...

Pair of Earths Spirits "Zhenmushou" from the China Tang Dynasty 618-907 AD. A beautiful and rare pair of "Earths Spirits guardians" from the Yunnan province region in the ancient China. This was created in clay earthenware pottery during the Tang Dynasty period between 618 and 907 AD. Featuring the molded figures of two seated guardians with decorations with polychrome pigmentations. The figures are seated on their haunches with cloven hooves planted firmly on the base looking forward with their front legs in a straight position. Both with face and body alert expressions on a rectangular base. Earth spirits usually appear in pairs, one with a human head and the other with a lion head. Their supernatural powers, indicated by antlers, spiky flanges and flames, enable them to confront evil spirits and protect any precincts within their gaze. Have been believed to protect the living by keeping the spirits of the dead from inappropriately roaming the world outside the tomb. Zhenmushou or guardian deities, developed from a line of protective spirits found normally in pairs at the front of Tang dynasty tombs. They served both to protect the figure from untoward spirits, and the outside world from the roving spirit of the dead. Combining features from a number of animals to form the perfect mythic beast, these mythical creatures were perceived to be the ideal guardians of the dead The semi human faced figure has a measures of 11.25 by 4.5 by 5.75 inches (28.57 x 11.43 x 14.60 Cm). The mythological lion animal figure has a measures of 10 by 5 by 5.8 inches (24.5 x 12.7 x 14.73 Cm). Tang dynasty or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Tend Kingdoms period. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point in Chinese civilization, and a the golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Tang territory, acquired through the military campaigns of its early rulers, rivaled that of the Han dynasty. The Li family founded the dynasty, seizing power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire and inaugurating a period of progress and stability in the first half of the dynasty's rule. The dynasty was formally interrupted during 690–705 when Empress Wu Zetian seized the throne, proclaiming the Wu Zhou dynasty...