15th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Marble Roman relief representing a Christogram Roman relief - 4th century 25 x 22 x 8 cm Provenance : Collection of the Château de B. À Nevers by Georges C.S., scholar born in 1833 and deceased in 1909 The entire castle and its collections were acquired in 1938 by the current owners of the estate A christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abreviation for the name of Jesus Christ. This rare fragment combines chi (X) and rho (P), the first two letters of Christ's name in Greek and it is one of the oldest and most popular early christian symbol. The monogram of Christ, or chrismon, is also a powerful symbol of imperial victory: it appeared to Emperor Constantine the Great before his battle against Maxentius in ad 312, promising victory in the name of Christ. In Plato's Timaeus, it is explained that the two bands which form the "world soul" (anima mundi...

Large base of molded hexagonal pilaster in burgundy stone carved with vines, grapes and rosettes in high relief. Burgundy, 15th century 28 x 63 x 30 cm Provenance : collection De...

An exquisite black amethyst druze cluster with polished stalactite. Rare and notoriously difficult to find, this stunning and unique black amethyst druz...

A natural piece of Petrified Wood set on a stand. Completely organic natural raw fossil, cleaned for display. Appearing as a towering mountain with jutting peaks. To the back sid...

Weight: 207.32 Gram Dimension: 8.2 x 6.7 x 3.2 Cm Origin: Afghanistan Aquamarine is a pale-blue to light-green variety of beryl. The color of aquamarine can be changed by heat. Aqu...

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...

Attributed to Antonio Rossellino (settignano, 1427 - Firenze, 1479) Bust of a young boy 1470-1475 Polychrome stucco 35 x 31 x 15,5 cm - Published on the exhibition catalogue : A. D...

A collection of museum mineral specimens in a display case with a removable lid. Presented in a sleek glazed case with a removable lid, the set includes 30 European minerals includin...

SMOKY QUARTZ GWINDEL Les Courtes, Chamonix, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Bonneville, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France 12 cm tall x 12 cm wide This Alpine region is most well known...

TOURMALINE Aricanga Mine, Sao Jose da Safira, Minas Gerais, Brazil 9 cm tall x 2.1 cm diameter Crystals of this type are sometimes referred to as "Parrot" crystals due to the multi-...

A Collection of natural history specimens in an antique glazed display case. Housing 27 exquisite fossils and minerals this is truly a cabinet of curiosities; including three corals,...

PINK FLUORITE ON SMOKY QUARTZ Tiefengletscher, Furka, Uri, Switzerland 28.5 cm tall x 12.7 cm wide In the mineral kingdom there are hierarchies, not all of them actually correct. Bu...

QUARTZ Peña Blanca Mine, San Pablo de Borbur, Western Boyacá Prov., Boyacá Dept., Colombia 14 cm tall x 20 cm wide The Pena Blanca Mine is typically known for emerald crystals. In a...

STIBNITE WITH BARITE & QUARTZ Xikuangshan antimony deposit, Lengshuijiang Co., Loudi, Hunan, China 23 cm tall x 28 cm wide The largest and most important stibnite specimens have his...

A varied and fascinating collection of 5 natural mineral specimens, each presented on an exclusive small painted plaster plinth. Ex. private British collection, this group contains ...

This is a penis-shaped stone figurine excavated in eastern Japan. Japan had a stone age called the Jomon period, and these items were created after the middle of that period. The Jom...

Renaissance Marble Relief Emilia Romagna, Faenza ? 1470-80 H 30,2 x L 33 x P 3,5 cm The carved marble relief depicts the Virgin accompanied by a winged cherub standing behind her. ...

A complete prehistoric Cleoniceras opalised iridescent ammonite fossil, originating from Madagascar, presented on an exclusive museum-quality painted plaster base. Over 200 million y...

Fossil Leaf Davidia antiqua Paleocene epoch Fort Union Formation Glendive, Montana, USA 5.47 x 5.55 x 0.97 inches (13.90 x 14.10 x 2.46 cm) Beautifully presented and carefully pres...

A superb giant ammonite fossil of the Titanites Giganteus variety mounted on a bespoke steel stand with sandstone base. Ex. private collection of Gordon Walkden. Sourced from Worth Quarry, Swanage on Britain’s Jurassic Coast, this impressive large-scale ammonite spans a length of 66 cm (25.89 in). It is an excellent example of the Titanites variety, with a defined scroll shape and natural, stone-like texture with distinctive fossilised chambers present throughout. The Titanites variety of ammonite date back as far as 152 million years to the late Tithonian period. Provenance: From the fascinating collection of Gordon Walkden (1944-2022), emeritus Professor of Geology at Aberdeen University. Affectionally known as Aberdeen’s answer to Indiana Jones, Walkden contributed enormously to research through his papers and talks on British marbles, minerals and fossils...

A complete prehistoric polished jigsaw ammonite fossil, originating from Madagascar, presented on an exclusive museum-quality painted plaster base. A natural historical artefact, pre...

An unusual blacknite quartz cluster specimen with covelline and bornite from Ambositra, Madagascar, presented on one of our museum-quality painted plaster bases. This striking and un...

A large pyrite cluster specimen originating from Peru, displayed on one of our exclusive museum-quality painted plaster bases. Naturally formed over millions of years, this huge pyr...

A collection of 6 natural, native copper specimens, each presented on an exclusive small wooden display base. Ex. private British collection, this group includes a range of superb s...

A Large European Carved Limestone Celtic Votive Head of a Male Warrior Wearing a Typical Flowing Moustache Small Beard and Curling Locks of Hair Stiffened with Lime Wash the Slit Mouth Open as if in Command Circa 1st Century BC - 1st Century AD Size: 31cm high, 22cm wide, 25cm deep - 12¼ ins high, 8¾ ins wide, 9¾ ins deep / 42cm high - 16½ ins high (with base) From about 500 BC, first Greek and later Roman historians mention peoples living in a large area of non-mediterranean Europe as Celts. These classical chroniclers seem to have recognised these communities as having sufficient shared cultural traditions to justify their being given a common name, ‘Keltoi’ by the Greeks, and ‘Celtae’ or ‘Galli’ by the Romans. The earliest allusions to Celts by such Greek historians as Herodotus (485 - 425 BC) were followed by Polybius (200 - 118 BC) and Livy (59 BC - AD 17) who discuss the expansion of the Celts from their central European homelands during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. They document the presence of Celts in Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Asia Minor, specifically central Turkey. They testify to the successful Roman resistance to the Celts in Italy, after the ignominy of the sacking of Rome by them in 387 BC, and describe the huge defeat suffered by the Celts at the battle of Telemon in northern Italy in 225 BC. The Celts in Greece who sacked the sacred site of Delphi in 279 BC were defeated by King Antigonos Gonatas of Macedon in 278 - 277 BC and in Turkey by Altalus of Pergamon in 240 BC. The Celts in Spain fell under the shadow of Rome from 2nd Century BC and the Celtic heartland known by the Romans as ‘Gaul’ was conquered by the Romans under Julius Caesar in the mid 1st Century BC. Britain was not referred to as Celtic by the ancient historians, but Caesar recognised the close similarities between Britain and Gaul especially in their political organisation. Tacitus (55 - 120 AD) and others chronicled the conquest of Britain between 43 and 84 AD some mentioning the fierce nature of the Celts who went into battle naked. Celtic art therefore belongs to an artistic tradition in the early history of Europe which is no less important than that of the classical world. Art was central to Celtic identity and was closely related to the objects which it decorated. The Celts were used to seeing art as an integral part of their everyday lives. Provenance: Ex Finch and Co...

Exceptionally Fine Wooden Sarcophagus Mask Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, circa 1069-945 BC. Acacia wood, rosewood, hippopotamus ivory Masterfully carved from a single piece of fine-grained hardwood, the present mask is characteristic of the most exquisite funerary art made during the 21st Dynasty, and was probably commissioned for a particularly high-ranking individual. The oval face displays a gently smiling mouth with full, outlined lips, furrows at the corners and a bow-shaped philtrum. The straight nose with rounded nostrils, the cheeks full and fleshy and the large, almond shaped eyes with heavy lids and tapering cosmetic lines, set below long, sweeping eyebrows. Social collapse across the Mediterranean in the Late Bronze Age meant that the 21st Dynasty in Egypt was a period of great turmoil. Trade routes were disrupted, governments collapsed, and mass migration occurred. Economic scarcity meant that traditional funerary practices in Egypt were also affected, with a lack of material and financial resources leading to the reuse of preexisting material. As a result, during the 21st Dynasty, 19th and 20th Dynasty coffins changed ownership rapidly and were heavily recycled for new purposes. Tombs were also unmarked allowing them to be shared by many people. These new practices brought forth a shift in the understanding of funerary paraphernalia. No longer important objects owned forever by the deceased, they were now simply seen as short-term transformative devices, whose symbolic and ritualistic meaning could be appropriated for others. However, paradoxically, the art of coffin-making also reached new heights during this period, and many of the richly dec- orated “yellow” coffins, characteristic of the 21st Dynasty, are remarkable works of art in their own right. Indeed, knowing that coffins were being reused throughout Egypt, the Egyptian élite set themself apart by commissioning lavish sarcophagi decorated with the images and texts meant to help guide them to the afterlife, and which would otherwise have adorned the tomb walls. As coffins were the chief funerary element which now identified the dead and allowed them a physical presence in the world of the living, their quality and appearance were of the utmost importance. The traditional coffin ensemble was made of three parts: a wooden mummy cover, which laid directly atop the mummy, an inner coffin, and an outer coffin, both made of a lid and case. Additional decorative elements, such as masks, were carved out separately and later glued or pegged to the lids. After the completion of the painted decoration, the sarcophagus was covered in a varnish to give it its yellow colour. Gilding was sometimes used for the coffins of the high priests’ families, notably on parts representing naked skin, such as the face mask. However, some of the élite tactically avoided gilding altogether as to ensure that their coffin would not be looted. When manufacturing the inner and outer coffins, particular attention was paid to the woodwork. Displaying the skill of the carpenter, this type of funerary art has largely remained unparalleled throughout Egyptian history. The principal wood used to craft the present mask is Acacia nilotica. The evergreen Egyptian acacia was considered sacred and said to be the tree of life, the birthplace of the god Horus, as well as symbolic of Osiris, the god of the dead and resurrection. The modelling of the face in the wood is superb, but the inlays also help mark this mask out as exceptional. Inlaid eyes and eyebrows were extremely rare and reserved to the finest and most expensive coffins. Traditionally, eyes were made of calcite, obsidian, or quartz, and eyebrows of coloured glass paste or bronze. Here, the pupils, eyebrows, and cosmetic lines are inlaid with Dalbergia melanoxylon, a rare type of wood which belongs to the rosewood genus. In antiquity, however, it was known as Ebony of the Pharaohs, from the Egyptian word “hbny”, meaning dark timber, because of its black, lustrous appearance. An extremely dense and hard wood requiring significant skill to work with, ebony was a luxury material highly coveted by the pharaohs themselves, to make furniture, decorative and funerary objects. The wood was imported with great effort from the southern Land of Punt, most likely modern Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea, alongside other luxury goods such as gold and ivory. A magnificent ebony throne, recovered in the tomb of King Tutankhamun, illustrates the incredible aesthetic potential of this material and why it was so highly valued by Egyptian royalty. Only élite members of Egyptian society could have afford- ed Ebony of the Pharaoh inlays for their funerary mask. The sclerae on the present piece were once both inlaid with hippopotamus ivory. Whiter than elephant ivory, this type of ivory is also denser, and more difficult to carve. The use of this luxury material, reputed for its gleaming appearance, enhances the lifelikeness of the eyes. For the Egyptians, hippopotamus ivory was imbued with magic powers. The hippopotamus was indeed both feared and venerated due to its aggressive behaviour. Whilst the male hippopotamus was associated with danger and chaos, the female was benevolent and invoked for protection, especially of the house and of mothers and their children, through the hippopotamus goddess Tawaret. Thus, not only was hippopotamus ivory used as an inlay and to make practical objects, such as combs and clappers, but it was also used to make talismans like apotropaic wands or knives. Made during a time of scarcity where few could afford made-to-order coffins, the present mask could have only belonged to one of the highest-ranking individuals in society. Undoubtedly one of the finest Egyptian coffin...

A varied and colourful collection of 7 natural mineral specimens, each presented on an exclusive small wooden display base. Ex. private British collection, this group contains a ran...

Collection of 5 Pre Columbian pottery heads. Largest is 2.5" x 2", much wear and chipping, although they are pretty tough for pottery.

Head of a Satyr Roman, circa 2nd - 3rd century AD Carved and highly polished marble An extremely fine marble head of a satyr, depicted with ivy wreath, curly hair and pointed goat’...

A large natural plate type carboniferous fossilised fern. Showing ferns in relief, this fossil would certainly make a stunning new display or decorative piece for any home or collect...

A large botryoidal green malachite specimen from Kolwezi, Congo, presented on an exclusive museum-quality painted plaster display plinth. Named for its distinctive form resembling a...

Natural Quartz Geode Decorative Object

Natural Quartz Geode Decorative Object

These exquisite Neolithic bracelets from Mali are a captivating testament to ancient craftsmanship and ingenuity. Carved from limestone with natural crystalline veins coursing throug...

White Rock Crystal Geode Natural Specimen Sculpture its divided into two parts.

Natural Quartz Geode Decorative Object

A stunning half geode with an incredible amethyst and overlaid calcite formation at the bottom. The interior of the piece is a very deep cavity which presents very high-quality ameth...

Head of a crowned Virgin Île-de-France, first half of 14th century. H26 x 14 x 14 cm Provenance : - Private Collection, Paris France (1960) - Private Collection Tuscany, Italy (19...

Elephant bird egg from Madagascar. The largest egg ever from a living creature; it is from the extinct elephant bird. Assembled from the shards of se...

Natural Quartz Geode Decorative Object

A Gogotte Formation Of natural form, dating from the Oligocene period (30 Million years ago). Beguiling natural mineral formation, they are the result of calcium carbonate binding w...

Banded Iron Fossil Formation Circa 2.9 Billion y/o This spectacular banded iron formation from Port Hedland, Western Australia, provides evid...

A superb relief-carved panel depicting the Maya Deity Itzamna, appearing as an Iguana, stretched out on a platform with long-toed limbs splayed

Magnificent large Herkimer diamond proudly seated on its original matrix. This clear, double-terminated quartz crystal is renowned for its exceptional clarity and brilliance, akin to...

This Prehistoric fossilized ammonite is likely from Madagascar and thousands of years old. This fossil is free standing and could be used as a unique design element as a natural specimen...

Impressive sculpture features a large cluster of Pyrite, masterfully extracted from the depths of Peru. Renowned for its metallic luster and golden hue, Pyrite—often called “Fool’s G...

Presented is an exceptional specimen of blue-purple Fluorite, with a serene light blue hue that evokes the clear sky of a summer’s day. Originating from the esteemed La Viesca mine i...

Telamon Northern Italy, late 12th - early 13th century Reemployed Roman marble H 32 x L 18 x P 17 cm « Sono coloro che hanno dimenticato che l’uomo é solo un bruco, destinato a dive...

15th Century Italian Renaissance Giltwood Carving . This magnificent 15th century Italian Renaissance gilt wood carving with a serpent is displayed on a revolving iron base. This mou...

Stunning Pyrite piece from the mineral-rich soils of Peru, this piece is a symphony of metallic luster and geometric precision. Its perfect cubic crystals are interlocked in a captiv...

Magnificent Amethyst geode, a captivating treasure with a heart of intense purple and a unique large calcite, cradled in a custom rotating stand for a 360-degree view of its splendou...

This museum-quality Amethyst “harp” from Artigas, Uruguay, is a natural sculpture of exceptional beauty and rarity. The piece features a harmonious arrangement of high-quality Amethy...

Exquisite specimen of blue-purple fluorite from the renowned La Viesca Mine in Asturias, which closed in 2020, making pieces like this increasingly rare. The specimen boasts vibrant ...

Beautiful lamp, carved from a block of translucent Mexican banded onyx.

Captivating Pyrite sphere from Peru, a true natural masterpiece. This sphere is a polished marvel, with countless tiny Pyrite crystals embedded within, each sparkling with perfect lu...

Beautiful lamp, carved from a block of translucent Mexican banded onyx.

This magnificent panel is an example of the pinnacle of Maya stone carving. It depicts the head of a cormorant in profile, with a long hooked beak, curved tongue, large central eye,...

This meteorite was acquired from the Bethany Sciences collection and was once a part of the private collection of Meteorite Man Robert A. Haag. It includes an informational Certifica...