An Egyptian greywacke Isis – £3.25m at Christie’s South Kensington on October 25.
Dating from c.664-525BC, the 2ft 4in (73cm) greywacke statue of the most iconic of Egypt goddesses was in exceptional condition and had belonged to a French noble family since its acquisition in Alexandria in the 1840s.
Bidding opened at £300,000 on October 25 and rapidly rose into seven figures as two bidders in the room, a commission bid in the book and two telephones battled it out.
In the end it was secured by London dealer Daniel Katz who was bidding at the back of the room.
The buyer's premium on a sliding scale of 25/20/12% took the final price to £3,681,250- an auction record for a piece of ancient Egyptian art.
