Moorish Animal Sculptures

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...

Very nice handcarved fragment of a marionette. France, circa 1850. Weathered, small losses and old repairs Measurement include the wooden base.

Did you now the unicorn is Scotland's national animal? They could have picked Nessie, but went with the most magical creature ever conceived. We're not certain if this massive bras...

Large Italian glazed terracotta leopard figure statue, 1960s Hollywood Regency. Very eclectic decorative piece that will make a state...

This sizable ceramic and well executed Cheetah sculpturedates to approximately 1960 and done in the period Mid-Century Modern style. The sculpture is done in a detailed molded cerami...

Armadillos ("little armoured ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals characterized by a leathery armour shell and long, sharp claws for digging. They have short legs but ca...

Brass Modernist Deco Style Gazelle bookends sculptures, a pair Offered for sale is a pair of brass gazelle art deco or modernist style bookends or ...

Love my terracotta animals! This is a large scale Hollywood Regency Era Italian leopard. He is in very good condition with his vibrant hand painted finish.

Vintage Brass Lion and Unicorn Bookends Made in England. The Lion and Unicorn are symbols in the coat of arms of the UK. The lion represents England ~...

Beautiful and rare hollywood regency large brass deer manufactured in Spain in 1970s. In very good vintage condition.

Hollywood Regency solid ram's head tabletop animal sculpture. Well-aged patina can be polished to perfection. Will look stunning on a column, pedestal or stand.    

19th c. articulated virgin, stationary bottom and moveable arms. Meant to wear clothes. Beautiful, fine facial features. Original paint. One broken finger...