Apollo Art Auctions' holiday series to conclude with Dec. 15 afternoon offering of premier Ancient Art & Antiquities

Many prized artifacts have provenance from Alison Barker, Nahum Goldmann, Shlomo Moussaieff, Dr Guido Goldman, W. Benson Harer or Drexel Institute collection

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, December 11, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Apollo Art Auctions takes utmost pleasure in announcing highlights of their December 15 Fine Ancient Art & Antiquities live gallery auction, which will start at 3pm GMT/10am US Eastern time, following a red-carpet morning session devoted exclusively to The Prince Collection.

The afternoon event offers collectors a stellar selection of Ancient Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Viking, Medieval, Western Asiatic and other top-tier antiquities dating from the 50th century BC to 15th century AD. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available to remote participants through Apollo Live or LiveAuctioneers.

Peerless provenance is the rule and not the exception throughout the 405 lots expertly curated for this sale. Many of the prized artifacts were formerly in internationally acclaimed collections, including those of London barrister Alison Barker (1951-2021), Mrs B Ellison, W Benson Harer, Drexel Institute, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Nahum Goldmann (1894-1982), Shlomo Moussaieff (1923-2015), and Dr Guido Goldman (1937-2020).

A fabulous assemblage of Ancient Egyptian art and relics will launch the sale, and in the case of Lot 2, in quite a literal sense, since it is an iconic and well-preserved Egyptian boat model. Dating to the Middle Kingdom period, circa 2055-1790 BC, it was meticulously carved from sycamore wood and symbolizes the journey of a deceased person’s soul into the Afterlife.

It is a realistic depiction of a marine craft, with details faithful to those of a real boat of its period, including rowers, a helmsman, oars, sails and original painted decorations. The piece has been reviewed by Simone Musso, consultant curator for Egyptian antiquities at the Stibbert Museum, Florence, Italy, and member of the Nuri Archaeological Expedition. Its previous ownership was with a London art gallery and, before that, a French collection where it had resided since the 1970s. Opening bid: £5,000/$6,370.

An outstanding example of Ancient Greek pottery, a circa 510-500 BC Attic red-figure kylix is a possible Pioneer Group production. Its lines are elegantly simple, with matching handles and a primarily black colorway to draw attention to the compelling central red figure of a nude ithyphallic satyr. An impressive line of British and German provenance includes a 1983 Sotheby's Antiquities auction in London. It is also a published example and listed in the Beazley Archive Pottery Database 8647. This lot will convey with a historical report from Alessandro Neri, an international cultural heritage expert based in Florence, Italy. Opening bid: £3,000/$3,820

Today’s glass artisans sometimes look to the Ancient Romans for inspiration, but it would take exceptional skill to replicate a circa 300-500 AD (late Roman period) polychrome glass rhyton, or ceremonial drinking horn. Displaying aqua blue-green hues and embellished with an applied yellow zig-zag pattern – possibly coming from Western workshops – this piece is similar to examples in the MET Museum and British Museum collections. Most recently it was part of a London private collection, with prior acquisition on the European art market pre-2000. Accompanied by a report from Alessandro Neri, it will open at £10,000/$12,740.

It is the gift-giving season, and as we all know, good things come in small packages. Imagine the delight that would come from opening a tiny, beautifully-wrapped box and finding an ancient gold ring inside. Many wonderful options to fit that scenario are found in the Saturday afternoon sale, including a circa 450-300 BC Greek gold ring whose oval bezel is engraved with the scene of a griffon with outstretched wings, hunting a running horse with a long mane. It is accompanied by an authentication report by ancient jewellery specialist Sami Fortune and will open for bidding at £3,000/$3,820.

Apollo Art Auctions’ Sunday afternoon, December 15, 2024 Fine Ancient Art & Antiquities Auction is a live gallery event with online bidding also available through Apollo Live or LiveAuctioneers. Start time: 3pm GMT/10am US Eastern Time. Preview goods at the gallery by appointment only, now through December 13, from 10am-5pm daily. Address: 63-64 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SW. Apollo accepts payments in GBP, USD and EUR; and ships worldwide. No import charges are assessed on most antiquities sent to the United States. All packing is handled in-house by white-gloved specialists skilled at preparing precious goods for shipment. Questions: call +44 7424 994167, email enquiries@apolloauctions.com. Online: www.apolloauctions.com

Dr. Ivan Bonchev
Apollo Art Auctions
+44 7424 994167
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