18th Century and Earlier Sculptures

A scent bottle in pale blue jasperware, with original silver lid. Decorated with Venus and Cupid, as allegories of Night - the one shedding poppies, the other drawing the veil of s...

A medieval English alabaster statue, possibly dating as far back as the late 14th / early 15th century, mounted on one of our exclusive large display plinths. Well weathered over the centuries, this 600-year-old statue depicts a medieval cloaked figure, possibly a monk, offering a glimpse into English architecture and sculpture of the Middle Ages. This sculpture is possibly made from Nottingham alabaster. During the 14th and 15th centuries, Nottingham was the centre of alabaster carving and painting. Alabaster works were mostly made as small alabaster models with religious themes. During the 16th century Reformation, many alabaster carvings were destroyed under King Henry VIII's rule, making any surviving examples even more significant. Provenance From the collection of Peter Hone (b. 1941). A master plaster caster, he is an expert and experienced collector, building up an extraordinary, museum-worthy collection of items in his one-bedroom flat in London W11...

Exceptional hand carved baroque marble panel depicting a winged angel head , Italy, circa 1700-1750. Beautiful weathered.

The Seymchan meteorite is a pallasite meteorite found in Russia in the settlement of Seymchan. Discovered in 1967, it is one of only a few pallasite meteorites - a type of meteorite ...

Beautiful Pair of Grand-Tour Style Polished Onyx Obelisks 5x5x19h

From San Eugenio, Artigas Dept., Uruguay Sharp crystal cluster in a parallel formation of scalenohedral calcite crystals on matrix  with lustrous translucent grape purple amethyst c...

Spanish sculpture "Pieta" 16th century sculpture in stone Nossa Senhora, is represented seated securing Jesus Christ. Measure: Height: 52 cm. Very good condition.

Intense purple latte aesthetic grape agate. A wonderful, sculptural arrangement! Origin: Indonesia

A natural piece of Petrified Wood set on a stand. Completely organic natural raw fossil, cleaned for display. The natural process for petrified wood to be created takes hundreds to...

Female Bust In Carrara Marble, Late 18th Century, Northern Italy

This huge, Museum-quality Spinosaur tooth is completely in tact with no repairs. This incredible specimen includes a display box for preservation and display purposes. Spinosaurus (m...

Carcharodontosaurus (Dinosaur) tooth in a glass display box From Tegana Formation, North Africa. Cretaceous Age 65 million years Carcharodontosaurus is one of the longest and heavi...

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...

This large, translucent piece of amber is from the Dominican Republic and is an estimated 16 to 25 million years old. Amber is fossilized tree resin and is considered a mineraloid. T...

Aztec Spider Monkey with Wind God Regalia This sculpture portrays a spider monkey (Ateles geofroyi) wearing the regalia associated with the Aztec Wind God, Quetzalcoatl-Ehecatl. Th...

The Campo del Cielo iron meteorites were discovered in 1576 about 500 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Testing proved the "rocks" to be meteorites. It is estimated that t...

Carcharodontosaurus (Dinosaur) tooth in a glass display box From Tegana Formation, North Africa. Cretaceous Age 65 million years Carcharodontosaurus is one of the longest and heavi...

Originally from 18th-century Italy, this pair of winged cherubs were hand-carved from wood as reflections of each other, meaning that their bodies are orientated as mirror images. Bo...

This huge, Museum-quality Spinosaur tooth is completely in tact with no repairs. This incredible specimen includes a display box for preservation and display purposes. Spinosaurus (m...

A sublime Chinese carved boxwood figure of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara, called Guanyin in Chinese, mid-Qing dynasty. The an...

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...

Oak carving of Bacchus, god of wine Circa 1700, excellent condition colour and patination size 110 cms high 50 cms wide 22 cms deep

This huge, Museum-quality Spinosaur tooth is completely in tact with no repairs. This incredible specimen includes a display box for preservation and display purposes. Spinosaurus (m...

Indo-Portuguese sculpture "Lady Conception" 17th century, H 147cm. Our Lady Conception Indo-Portuguese teak wood carving from the 17th century. Upholstered and polychrome . T he ...

A superb naturally occurring tropaeum ammonite fossil mounted on one of our exclusive large display plinths originating from Whale Chine, Chale Bay, Isle of Wight. Dating from the early cretaceous period (145 – 100 million years ago), this large ammonite fossil catches the eye with its deep protruding ridges and distinct, partly uncoiled, coil; traits characteristic of the tropaeum variety. Ex. British collection, it is a brilliantly preserved example of the prehistoric ammonite, becoming the focal point of a collector’s cabinet or interior display. 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...

18th century Italian "Florence fragment" with a fossil coral head on a fossil coral cluster base. This fragment is from a church in Florence. It was found ...

Vollplastisch geschnitzte Heiligenfigur des frühen 17. Jahrhunderts, polychrome originale Farbfassung. Höhe 83cm, Farbe bereichsweise stark blättrig bzw. fehlend. Ausdrucksstarker G...

A rare and unusual Chinese Ming Dynasty bronze figure of the Buddha as an infant. The young Prince Siddhartha, who would grow up to become the Buddha, is portrayed standing, one hand pointing to the sky, the other to the ground. He is naked, save for a baby apron...

Weight: 70.85 Carats Dimension: 3.5 x 2.4 x 0.7 Cm Origin: Africa Colour: Red Pink and Green Shape: Carving Quality: AAA Tourmaline helps to create a shield around a person or room t...

Alabaster group of three lions playing on a naturalistic base, raised on a gilt-edged plinth. From England, Spain, and France, to the Low Countries, Germany, and Poland, alabaster w...

Fine 18th Century bronze figures of a military drummer and a soldier loading his musket. Both bronzes are placed on a square shallow plinth base with titled ...

76.55 Carat Tri Colour Fluorite Pair Carving From Pakistan Weight: 76.55 Carat Dimension : 1.3 x 1.5 x 0.5 Cm Origin: Pakistan Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral f...

Beautiful and very rare hand carved wooden coat of arms with a crowned lion standing on the water reaching to a star. The Netherlands, circa 1650- 1750. Weathered, small losses and...

162.85 Carat Tri Colour Fluorite Pair Carving From Pakistan Weight: 162.85 Carat Dimension : 3.8 x 2.3 x 0.7 Cm Origin: Pakistan Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is the mineral for...

Green Glazed Ceramic Buddha's Head

Coppia di putti stanti in una palma, legno dorato, epoca Luigi XIV, fine XVII secolo, altezza 33.5 cm, larghezza massima 18 cm, base 10x5 cm. Le due sculture erano, probabilmente, la...

18th century Baroque/Rococo english glazed painted porcelain of a goat-riding tailor by Chelsea Pottery By: Chelsea Pottery, Meissen Porcelain (in the style of) Material: porcelain,...

Christ enthroned South America, 17th century cm 64x22x18,5 Polychrome wooden sculpture representing Christ, wrapped in a red cloak edged with gold, who, crowned and seated on a th...

A lovely angel, his right hand extended as if to touch something or hold something. He appears very calm and peaceful, clothed in a partial shroud which is draped over his shoulder...

Christ Crucified in boxwood and gilded loincloth, 16th-century German sculptor, height from head to foot 31 cm, width between hands 30 cm. Christ also has golden highlights on the pr...

A striking polished labradorite freeform sourced from Madagascar, naturally formed over thousands of years. Characterised by its iridescent colours, principally blue, this high grade...

Large wooden Madonna and Child, painted and carved in hollow at the back. The theme of the Virgin and Child is the most represented in all Christian art, whereas the infancy of Jesus...

Sculptural 'Sacred Heart' - 18th century Italian gilded angel mounted on a polished red hematoid quartz heart and adorned with a natural-forming baroque pearl.The piece is inspired by "The Sacred Heart" in Catholic art history which symbolizes God's unconditional love for mankind. Hematoid Quartz is a quartz crystal that contains Hematite inclusions. It is polished and sculpted into a heart and adorned with the Italian gilt putto and baroque pearl. The piece is put together by Jean O'Reilly Barlow, the artist and creative director of Interi. The date of manufacture reflects when she created the piece and the period shows that the Italian putto...

Handcarved baroque wooden sculpture depicting the two accomplises Bacchus and Amor. Bacchus is wearing a grapevine in his hair and holds up a bunch of grapes. A jaguar skin...

Vintage, 18th Century Spanish Colonial Carved Polychromed and Parcel-Gilt, Painted Sculpture of a Bishop with Mitred Head

Two Neolithic basalt celts mounted on black steel bases. In archaeology, a celt is a long, thin, prehistoric, stone or bronze tool used as an adze, hoe, h...

Prehistoric Brazilian thick agate geode on stand. Center hole reveals beautiful natural silver crystals. Stand measures 6" x 4". One of several from a large...

Beautiful large Baroque angel-wing with its original color and gilding. Extremely rare to find in this size. Very decorative item placed on a wooden base. Italy, circa 1750. Weathere...

Weight: 26.40Carats Dimension: 2.8 x 1.9 x 0.5 Cm Origin: Africa Colour: Red Pink and Green Shape: Carving Quality: AAA Tourmaline helps to create a shield around a person or room t...

Vintage, 18th century Continental Rococo Carved Giltwood Figure of a Kneeling an Angel

Coppia di angioletti in legno di tiglio, sculture francesi del XVIII secolo, altezza di ognuno 17.5 cm e 16 cm, altezza complessive di basi lignee 36 cm e 31 cm, basi 9x9 cm. Si noti...

Sculptural 18th century Italian hand-carved angel wing mounted on white aragonite and adorned with faden crystals, crystal quartz, and baroque pearls. The hand-carved angel wing was ...

Weight: 26.70 Carats Dimension: 2.6 x 1.7 x 0.7 Cm Origin: Africa Color: Red Pink and Green Shape: Carving Quality: AAA Tourmaline helps to create a shield around a person or room to...

Large figure standing with a book under his arm with hand extended.

Pair of "faux marble" lacquered wooden winged angels, seated, from the 18th century, resting on two turned lacquered wooden bases of recent manufacture, total height 102 cm, base dia...

18th century Italian "Florence fragment" vase with an elestial quartz point, chalcedony rosettes, and ecphora shells on a petrified wood base. The elestial quartz has an additional c...

The terracotta bust, placed on top of a colored marble pedestal, depicts a male figure with his hair held back in a tail by a ribbon and is attired in a collarless tailcoat closed wi...

Beautiful weathered oak panel with an wonderful primitive angel figure. On the bottom of this angel you can also see two small eagle heads. France, circa 1550-1650, weathered, small...