Greek, Roman, Egyptian & Other Antiquities

The antiquities market comprises artefacts and works of art made by ancient civilisations including statues, coins, jewellery and arms and armour.

Provenance is one of the most important considerations when trading in this sector as there is a long history of looting from archaeological sites.

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Greco-Roman marble torso of Aphrodite draws admirers in West Sussex

09 December 2019

Adding a classical touch to a highly successful five-day sale at West Sussex auction house Bellmans (22% buyer’s premium) was a 1st century AD Greco-Roman marble lower torso of Aphrodite.

Roman-Jewish bronze ring

Chinese mantel clock, Rembrandt etching and Roman-Jewish bronze ring – five auction highlights that caught bidders’ eyes

29 November 2019

ATG’s selection of hammer highlights this week includes a rare Roman-Jewish bronze ring that made over 30-times estimate.

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Antiquities stolen from Afghanistan returned with help of British Museum and Met police’s Art and Antiques Unit

12 November 2019

Sculptures of Buddha dating from the 4th-6th centuries smuggled out of Afghanistan nearly 20 years ago have finally been returned to the country’s national museum.

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Sculpture of Emperor Hadrian reigns supreme in Christie's Classic Week

04 November 2019

Christie’s latest ‘Classic week’ in New York raised a premium-inclusive $59.9m (£46.8m) from nine separate sales.

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Rare Islamic gold dinar sets joint record at auction

25 October 2019

A rare Umayyad gold dinar dated 105AH (723AD) equalled the auction record for an Islamic coin when it was hammered down at £3.1m at Morton & Eden.

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TEFAF New York Fall widens timeline for fourth edition

14 October 2019

Booth collaborations at TEFAF New York Fall encourage cross-collecting by visitors

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Egyptian head brings smiles at Hartleys

30 September 2019

After the Hartleys (17.5% buyer’s premium) September 4 sale, auctioneer Andrew Hartley admitted: “Furniture did not perform as it was hoped from tiny chinks of daylight discernible in the last few months.”

Cobham Hall Hadrian

British fund manager consigns Roman statue of Emperor Hadrian to Christie’s

25 September 2019

A Roman sculpture of the Emperor Hadrian billed as “one of the finest ancient statues from the Grand Tour era of collecting” has been consigned to Christie’s by British investment manager Christian Levett.

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Rare Roman Solidus coin found in Somerset field bought by European collector

18 September 2019

A rare Roman gold coin of the Emperor Constantine I found by a metal detectorist in a field in Somerset was hammered down at £16,000 (plus 24% buyer’s premium) at Dix Noonan Webb.

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Greek marble ‘wedding present’ returned to Munich museum

18 September 2019

A Hellenistic marble stele that was received as a wedding present in the 1950s has been returned to a museum in Germany after an investigation by antiquities dealers and an Oxford scholar.

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Going for bust with a £96,000 bid in Essex auction

16 September 2019

This Italian marble bust of an emperor, catalogued as 17th century after the antique, provided a moment of saleroom drama at Sworders’ Fine Interiors auction in Stansted on September 10.

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Hadrianic Dionysos head offered at Cottone’s auction

16 September 2019

One of the highlights of Cottone’s sale in Geneseo, New York, on September 28 will be this marble head of Dionysos, a Roman copy of a late classical (4th century BC) Greek archetype.

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Rare late Anglo-Saxon and early Norman conquest coin hoard discovered in Somerset valued at £4m

29 August 2019

A Bath museum hopes to acquire a rare hoard of coins found in a Chew Valley field that could be valued at £4m.

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Roman mask leads antiquities parade

26 August 2019

This copper-alloy Roman mask will be offered for sale on September 3 by TimeLine Auctions in London, estimated at £80,000-100,000.

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Ancient art from estate of prominent dealer Ingrid McAlpine to be sold in Salisbury

26 August 2019

The Tribal Art and Antiquities sale at Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury on September 18-19 includes property from the estate of Ingrid McAlpine (1939-2018), one of London’s most prominent antiquities dealers.

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Roman eagle flies into London gallery

26 August 2019

Kallos Gallery features this 2nd century Roman marble eagle in its autumn catalogue and on its stand at TEFAF New York in October.

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Bronze Age shield discovery comes to Suffolk auction

26 August 2019

An example of a Bronze Age Yetholm type copper alloy shield from c.1300-975BC is for sale as part of the new Gentleman’s Library Auction format taking place at Suffolk saleroom Bishop & Miller on September 5.

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Mask ‘matches Crosby Garrett find’

26 August 2019

Roman relic up for auction is believed to be from same workshop as famous helmet.

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Hellenistic period single gold earring emerges for sale

26 August 2019

Featuring in Dix Noonan Webb’s Jewellery, Watches, Antiquities & Objects of Vertu sale in London on September 10 is a Hellenistic period single gold earring, c.3rd century BC.

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Corinthian helmet offered in Edinburgh auction

26 August 2019

Lyon & Turnbull’s African & Oceanic Art & Antiquities auction in Edinburgh on October 16 includes this Apulian-Corinthian helmet from the late 5th-early 4th century BC.

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