Ancient Chinese Ming Dynasty Gilt Lacquered Seated Guanyin Buddha, 1450 AD

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...

Celtic ‘Dachreiter’ Tetradrachm Minted in Eastern Europe, circa 1st-2nd Century B.C. Silver A magnificent Celtic tetradrachm of the Dachreiter (“roof-rider”) type, minted by a C...

This beautifully preserved ring was cast from light green transparent glass. Its large size and shape are typical of Hellenistic finger rings, and its now ...

Magnificent Lady Guanyin Bodhisattva seated in Royal Relaxation pose hand-carved in Gilded Wood with traces of paint still visible. This expressi...

A LARGE WOOD FIGURE OF GUANYIN WITH TRACES OF PIGMENTS MING DYNASTY (1368-1644) The bodhisattva is shown seated in padmasana, wearing long flowing ro...

Diminutive Chinese bronze metal Buddha sculpture depicted sitting. Beautifully crafted in the Ming style with intricate details. The bronze has a rich patinated finish with verdigris.

A decidingly charming Chinese polychromed and gilt cast bronze figure of Nanhai Guanyin, Guanyin of the South Sea, Ming Dynasty, 16th/17th century, China. Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion, is portrayed here as a beatific figure seated upon a raised lotus pedestal over waves. Guanyin is dressed in heavy robes, and wears an elaborate headdress. The small figure of Amitabha Buddha in the headdress positively identifies this figure as Guanyin. Guanyin rests one hand in his lap, holding a cup of pure water said to be able to alleviate all suffering. His other hand is raised, holding a willow branch which is used to sprinkle the healing waters. The two lotus blossoms to either side of Guanyin would originally have supported figures of the acolytes...

Chinese late Ming dynasty bronze figure of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, also known as Guanyin (Quan Yin, Kwan Yin, Kuan Yin), 17th century, China  The figure well cast in two ...

An attractive carved wood figure of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, known as Guanyin in China, late Ming Dynasty, early 17th century, China. Guanyi...