MONTROSE, Calif. – A wonderful Egyptian limestone relief dating to the Old Kingdom (circa 2200 BC), a fantastic life-size Roman marble head of an athletic victor (2nd-3rd Century AD), and a set of four large Egyptian alabaster canopic jars (Late Period, circa 664-332 BC) are just a few of the offerings in Ancient Resource Auctions’ online-only auction scheduled for December 7th. 

Officially titled Auction #81 – an Exceptional Holiday Antiquities Sale – the online-only auction has a start time of 9 am Pacific and features over 425 lots of authentic Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, Holy Land, Byzantine, Asiana and Pre-Columbian antiquities, plus ethnographic art and a fine selection of fossils. It’s the final auction of the year for Ancient Resource Auctions.

“This sale features an incredible selection of antiquities from a wide variety of cultures,” said Gabriel Vandervort, owner of Ancient Resource Auctions, “and I can’t say enough about the fantastic selection of fossils we’re excited to be offering. Buyers are bound to get some really wonderful pieces at great prices, and just about every lot would make a perfect holiday present.”

The Old Kingdom Egyptian limestone relief depicts a pair of kilted men leading antelope, both grasping their respective animal by the horns. The scene is beautifully carved in relief on a horizontal ground line. Below the main scene is the uppermost portion of a scene depicting cattle, including calves frolicking about. The 18 ½ inch tall relief should bring $7,000-$12,000.

The life-size Roman marble head of an athletic victor is depicted wearing the pine crown of the Isthimian games. The features are skillfully carved, with wavy hair and a detailed curly beard. The head is perched on an old, heavy stone base, likely black marble. The overall height is just over 22 inches tall. The piece displays beautifully and carries an estimate of $30,000-$45,000.

The set of four Egyptian alabaster canopic jars, each one carved from a creamy stone with horizontal veins, is expected to realize $12,000-$18,000. The largest jar is 8 inches tall. Canopic jars were part of Egyptian funerary equipment and were used to store the organs of the deceased. Often, the lid was made in the form of the head of one of the Sons of Horus, a protective deity.

A gorgeous Apulian red-figure bell krater from the 4th Century BC, 6 ½ inches tall, one side featuring a striding nude satyr wearing a beaded harness and the other side a heavily robed female with diadem, has an estimate of $5,000-$7,000. Also, a lovely, circa 1st or 2nd Century AD bronze figure of a winged Eros, depicted nude and wearing a winged helmet, reaching back to draw an arrow from his quiver, should command $4,500-$5,500.

A spectacular and complete Woolly Rhinoceros skull fossil from the Pleistocene era (circa 120,000-20,000 years ago), one of the most famous beasts of the last Ice Age, found in Belgium in the 1960s, 32 inches tall, is estimated to hit $40,000-$60,000. Also, a beautiful Egyptian bronze figure of a striding Harpokrates (Late Period, circa 664-332 BC), depicted nude on an integral base, 7 ¾ inches tall, should garner $8,000-$12,000.

A stunning Egyptian painted cartonnage funerary mask (Late Period, circa 664-332 BC), the face having a deep red skin tone and with black detailing to the eyes and brow, with a feathered headdress, on a display stand, should go for $6,000-$9,000. The same estimate has been assigned a circa 1200-664 BC Egyptian wooden scribe’s palette, rectangular, with six circular depressions containing pigment and central recessions for reed brushes.

A rare Etruscan bronze helmet of Negau type (circa 450-350 BC), of the type believed to have been used by priests and likely buried for ceremonial reasons, formed from sheet bronze, 7 ½ inches tall, has an estimate of $15,000-$25,000. Also, a late 19th Century oil on canvas painting by the Dutch realist painter Anton (Anthonij) Mauve (1838-1888), of sheep in a landscape setting, signed, framed and dated 1875, should hit $10,000-$20,000.

All lots may be viewed and bid on now, via Ancient Resource Auctions’ bidding platform, at bid.AncientResourceAuctions.com, and on its bidding apps for both Android and Apple devices. Bidding is available on Invaluable.com and LiveAuctioneers.com. The link to LiveAuctioneers is at https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/154959_a81-exceptional-holiday-antiquities-sale/.

In addition to live and Internet bidding, phone and absentee bids will be accepted. When bidding this way, a 19.5 percent buyer’s premium will apply, versus a 24.5 percent when bidding online via LiveAuctioneers.com or Invaluable.com, and 20 percent via the Ancient Resource Auctions bidding platform and app. Previews are by appointment only; to schedule one call 818-425-9633.

Ancient Resource Auctions is always seeking quality ancient art and antiquities for future auctions. To inquire about consigning one piece or an entire collection, you may call 818-425-9633 or send an e-mail to ancientresourceauctions@yahoo.com. All inquiries are confidential.

To learn more about Ancient Resource Auctions and the Saturday, December 7th Exceptional Holiday Antiquities Sale, visit www.AncientResourceAuctions.com. For more information, please call 818-425-9633; or, you can send an e-mail to ancientresourceauctions@yahoo.com.

                                                                        #  #  #  #