It’s rare to see cooperation between the ancient art market and academic institutions.
Often we’re cast on opposite sides of the cultural property debate - and sometimes that’s true. But this case shows what can happen when people trust each other and work in good faith.
Grateful to Prof. MacDonald and Dr. Sparks for working with us to return these axes to UCL.
As we celebrate our 25th Anniversary, we’re very aware that two-and-a-half decades is just a blip to some. At @artancient in London, for instance, artifacts, artworks and rare wonders date from the formation of the Solar System to the late Roman period. This gallery brings history to life in a way that really puts things into beautiful perspective. Tap the link in bio to watch more of the @1stdibs 25th Anniversary journey. 📸: @johndolanphotog
Masterpiece in the garden 🍃
Rediscovering lost history is one of the privileges of our job. This marble bust of Herakles was brought to auction in 2020 as a 19th century copy. But its surface, style and subject matter were at odds with that. After a detailed research project, we were able to uncover its remarkable 200 year modern history, and re-identify it once more as a Hellenistic masterpiece.
We are extremely fortunate to have been a small part of its story, and are proud to say that it will soon be on public display once again, having recently been acquired by a national museum.
It is rare to encounter Italic pottery with an early (19th-century) provenance. This example comes from the Bessonneau collection and still retains its original label. Not every ancient work needs to be a masterpiece to be beautiful, and relatable.
Egyptian faience work ranges from the mediocre to the sublime. Though only a fragment, this piece displays an exceptional level of refinement in a material more often associated with amulets.
We acquired this from a German collection and rediscovered its history back to the collection of George Anastas Michaelides, the noted Cairo-based collector.
In our #MuseumAcquisitions🏛️ series, we continue to highlight exceptional objects from BADA members that have been acquired by museums, celebrating the expertise of our members and the important role they play in preserving art, antiques and historic works for public collections.
This week, we are highlighting this giant hand axe acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art @metmuseum from ArtAncient. @artancient
This hand axe, one of the largest ever discovered in Great Britain, was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from ArtAncient at TEFAF Maastricht in 2019.
Its exceptional size, measuring over 24 cm, places it among the rare ‘giant’ hand axes, which are thought not to have been intended as tools, but instead created and prized for their monumental and aesthetic qualities. Perhaps used as a symbol of strength and status among our early ancestors, Homo heidelbergensis and Homo erectus, it also represents the longest-enduring technological tradition in human history.
The axe is now on display in Gallery 370 at The Met.
Head over to ArtAncient’s page on bada.org to browse more of their collection - link in bio!
#BADAMember #ArtAncient #TheMet #HandAxe
It’s funny how tastes change. In the late 19th century, Tanagra figures were probably the hottest thing on the ancient art market - fiercely contested by the most discerning collectors and THE signifier of good taste. Today, they are often overlooked, with marble fragments or even modest pieces of ancient jewellery commanding higher prices than exceptional Tanagras. This example shows why they were so sought after. It is probably the finest from the Bellon collection.
Ammonites from the Bearpaw formation really are a miracle of nature. Unlike the brown, earthy tones of most fossils, they display a whole spectrum of colours. Iridescent reds and greens are the most common colours seen on these, but in some - if you get the lighting right - you can also see flashes of deep blue, purple and vibrant orange. These are often the pieces that mesmerise collectors at art fairs, and its easy to see why.
Ernst Kofler-Truniger was one of those rare collectors who amassed artworks of both incredible beauty, skilled craftsmanship and remarkable provenances. The jewellery collection he formed with his wife is one of the best known on the market.
As an art dealer, he had access to old European collections, enabling him to cherry-pick the best pieces before they were dispersed on the market. As a connoisseur, he had the eye to spot a masterpiece. In today’s market, a Kofler-Turniger provenance signals connoisseurship, scholarship and historical importance.
That’s why this piece stood out to us when we saw it offered for sale. One of the finest status symbols of the Migration period, with a fantastic provenance. What more could you want.
We are in awe of those collectors who had the eye to acquire masterpieces across every category. Sheikh Saud was one of those people. He was so motivated to acquire this piece and the other great works in the Thalassic collection that he agreed to buy the whole collection (by private treaty through Christie’s). This piece was on the front cover of the Thalassic catalogue and was described as a ‘quartzite masterpiece’ by curator and archaeologist, Dorothea Arnold.
Sometimes the smallest pieces can have the best stories. When sifting through a tray of what appeared to be scrap metal coming up for auction, this immediately stood out to us as a masterpiece of early medieval craftsmanship. While not sure of its purpose at the time, further research uncovered its likely use - as an elaborately made drinking horn finial. Known to us from history books and films, these drinking horns are iconic of the period, and this was certainly a particularly elaborate one. What a treasure!
We are pleased to announce the donation of this remarkable Iron Age harness brooch to the Hampshire Cultural Trust, where it will soon be displayed to the public.
This finely crafted piece is a rare but prestigious survival from Iron Age Britain, and we are proud to have been a small part of its journey back to Hampshire, where it was discovered.
