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An amphora is Greek jar with a single or double handle made in a variety of sizes and copied by all ancient Mediterranean trading nations. This amphoriskos, literally a “small amphora,” has a stunning profile and one handle but is top heavy and cannot stand without support. It dates from the time of the Holy Land during the first Jewish Biblical Period in Judea circa the 8th to 6th century BCE.
This Protoclassic (circa 200BCE – 200CE) ceramic painted figurine of an ovoid snail was fashioned as a vessel with a wide large spout on top. Many early Jalisco ceramics were utilitarian and used for cooking, carrying water or storing seeds. The size and shape of this piece suggest it was made to hold liquids. Pieces like this were often decorated with applied painted designs that faded because they were not fired after painting. In contrast to the rest of Mesoamerica which had complex urban centers, areas of habitation in West Mexico were small, especially in the Colima Jalisco-Nayarit area. Because these areas had been abandoned for centuries, utilitarian objects like this were rarely found whole and required their fragments to be assembled and restored. This piece is in very good condition with cracks and paint losses and may have expected repairs at its spout.
This figure is Harpocrates the Greek god of silence, confidentiality and secrets holding a jar. The iconography hints at a royal and temple cult, as he wears a double crown symbolizing both Upper and Lower Egypt. A royal emblem showing an association with the contemporary king, in Egypt royals with crowns were a manifestation of the Egyptian god Horus. Small white specks are all that remains of the slip and colorful paints covering it. Missing part of his right side when excavated, there are no repairs and it is mounted on a stand. Given its age, the image is in good condition with normal scrapes and cracks found in pieces of this age.
Cocoon jars were mingqi made for placement in tombs to comfort the deceased on their journey to the cosmos. An elixir of Immortality made from mulberry leaves or their ashes was placed inside for the deceased to drink and transmigrate into the world of the beyond like a butterfly. Ovoid in shape to resemble a silkworm cocoon, they rest on a small trumpet-shaped foot and have a narrow neck and a wide lip jutting outward at the mouth. Painted after firing with vertical bands dividing it into panels, swirling cloud scrolls and circular “eye” motifs at each end, this beautiful vessel is in excellent condition for its age with expected paint losses, scrapes and adhesions of dirt.
This glazed pig mingqi was one of many items made for a tomb to placate the spirit of the deceased and assure the soul’s access to the things enjoyed when alive. This animal mingqi confirms the importance of pigs as a food source and of raising livestock in Han China. An alert animal whose stocky body is typical, it’s dark lead green glaze and damp tomb created a chemical reaction over centuries making it a lustrous, iridescent green impossible to copy that is highly valued in China and by collectors. In very good condition, it has expected glaze losses, minor abrasions and cracks due to its age and long tomb burial.
This ancient serving plate is remarkable for its graceful simplicity. It has fine circular ring designs creating clean ridges, and it is known as ARS (African Red Slip). There are central decorative stamped images of palms with detailed fronds alternating with small circlar clusters. Its rim is articulated, a white slip or minerals from its burial appear each side while its low wide foot assures its stability. Recovered in two pieces, the break was clean, the parts reglued and it has no other restoration. It is in good condition for its age and burial and is an interesting example of surviving ancient Roman art. Platters of this size are rare and, when they are found, they are usually in multiple broken pieces that have significant losses.
This diminutive but very elegant piece is a lekanis, a lid-covered dish originating in Greece embraced by artisans from Apulia in Magna Graecia in Southern Italy who adapted this form in their Xenon wares in the 6th century BCE. This terracotta lidded bowl is covered with pale matte salmon decorations over a black glazed body, a bowl highlighted with decorative meandering bands. Fathers in ancient times filled these bowls with small items of adornment and gave them to their daughters as a wedding gift, which would be a delightful tradition to uphold today.
This thin-walled ancient Roman vessel has a red slip and is a beautiful work of art. Its delicate piriform (pear-shaped) body rests on a round foot, its rim is flared, a graceful handle is attached to its lower body and fine relief designs of a rosette, lion and palm leaves surround it. Recovered as eight large pieces, it was re-glued, discolored areas appear at the rim and on the body and there is minor fading of the intensity of the reddish slip. Despite these things, this is a very special and striking piece from ancient history that is well-preserved considering its age, burial and re-gluing.
This beautifully shaped red clay terracotta piece is less typical than other Roman bowls, as many had flaring walls and inward curving rims with a short round foot. Thinner and lighter, this has taller, curved vertical walls, a constriction around it near its rim and a band topped in red circling the outside that angles inward on the inside. Wheel made and covered with a pleasing crème slip, the red terracotta lip results in a pleasing color differentiation. It is a beautiful piece in excellent condition with expected minor slip losses and slight darkening, minor rim chips and mineral deposits.
This small 4th century BCE Xenon ware vessel container has a strap handle and its body is decorated with orange linear designs: a continuous painted geometric meander, a decorative band of tapering vertical lines and a thin line around the body below. There is some fading of the painted decoration and there are minor chips in the black glaze at the rim and elsewhere that reveal the red clay body. However, this piece is in very good condition given its age of more than two millennia and has no discernable repairs or restorations.
This beautifully carved and heavily gilt antique cabinet is a fine example of Straits Chinese furniture made in Guangdong for the Southeast Asia market. Double hinged vertical doors with wood pegs are composed of three carved openwork panels: horizontals on top and bottom and a tall one in between. Each door has a phoenix flanked by peonies in the center panel. Above and below the doors are open-work panels with florals running horizontally. The shrine rests on a low pedestal with curving gilt lines and florals. Above and below the tall panels are thin horizontal panels centered with a pod filled with seeds expressing a wish for many sons. The inside rear wall has a painted outline of a gilt table holding a finely painted gold, black and grey Chinese screen.
This antique coconut grater is a very practical multi-use creation designed to cut, grate, shave, husk and shred coconuts and large fruits and vegetables. Some were carved as crouching rabbits, but others like this were realistic renderings of small mammals. Its decorative appeal includes lovely 6-petal flowers above its four legs and elegantly curved and metal piece extending from its mouth. With its warm and rustic feel, it would be a unique decorative addition to any kitchen and an interesting conversational piece.
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