By Carter B. Horsley

The Sotheby's June 5, 1999 Antiquities sale is highlighted by several superb works and one quite exceptional piece, a small black chlorite figure of a mythical hero fom Bactria or Eastern Persia, circa 2200-2000 B.C., shown above. This 4 1/2 inch high figure at first conjures the great small Sumerian sculptures, but those elegant, formal, sedate works are quite calm compared with this stocky, rather mysterious figure.

The catalogue quotes a discussion about a related work in the Louvre that notes that "his beast-like expression and his body covered in scales - doubltless to convey hairiness - suggest an analogy with the monster giant Humbaba, as he appears, with his speckled body, on an 18th Century Syrian cylinder seal." The catalogue also notes that one expert has suggested "that the objects suspended from the belt are compartmented stamp seals which may have been worn as a symbol of membership in a particular clan or tribe," and another expert as suggesting that a "cavity beneath the left armpit must have been to allow the fitting of a small container, into which, it seems, could be placed an offering, the figure being the mystical presenter of the offering."

The piece, Lot 74, was formerly in the Breitbart and Ben Heller collections, among others, and was on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 1985 to this year. It is ambitiously estimated at $250,000 to $350,000. It was hammered down for $725,000 (not including the buyer's premium as do all the sales prices in this article, except where noted), an extremely impressive price considering that the piece was not in pristine condition! This price was a solid indication that the market for very rare and unusual antiquities is very strong and escalating.

This was a very robust sale with the morning session selling about 85 percent of the lots, a very respectable ratio. Prices continued to run high for Egyptian and Greek works although Roman busts and Greek "pots" were rather weak. This sale would seem to represent a significant ratcheting up of values for most quality pieces although most veteran connoisseurs would probably maintain that values are still very low across the board.

A far less intimidating work than Lot 74, but still a very impressive piece, is Lot 78, shown above, an Elamite chlorite jar, 1st half of the 3rd Millenium B.C., of slightly tapering concave cylindricalform with shallow relief carving in three registers with architectural and mythological motifs. This 5 7/8 inch high jar, which is missing its lid, is estimated aggressively at $150,000 to $200,000. It sold for $190,000.

Another major piece of about the same period is Lot 79, a marble figure of a moufflon, probably from the Indus Valley, 10 inches long. It is very similar to a less damaged work in the Metropolitan Museum of Art that is one of the masterpieces of Near Eastern Art. This lot is estimated at $100,000 to $150,000. It passed at $80,000, probably reflecting the fact that the damage was in the head section, the most important.

It is fairly unusual in recent years for an Antiquities auction to have so many major Near Eastern works, but this sale has many Roman and Egyptian works as well. One of the most charming is Lot 156, shown below, a silver-gilt bronze figure of Dionysos, circa 1st Century, A. D. The delightful, 2 inch long work is quite lively in its posture and has an appropriate estimate of $5,000 to $8,000. It sold for $4,750.

Another very attractive small Roman statue is a silvered-bronze work of Aphrodite Anadyomene, 1st/2nd Century A.D., Lot 157, that was inspired by a 4th Century Greek prototype of the goddess standing on a base wearing a diadem raising her hands to rinse the seam foam from her hair with Priapus standing at her left holding fruits and a diving dolphin at her right. The 2-inch high work is conservatively estimated at $3,000 to $5,000. It sold for $8,000. Also very appealing is Lot 299, a Roman bronze figure of Nike with a victory wreath in her hand, circa 1st/2nd Century A.D., which is estimated conservatively at $4,000 to $6,000. It failed to sell.

A very imposing and fine bronze statue of Herakles, Roman Imperial, circa 1st Century A.D., is Lot 154. The sculpture has a particularly fine rendering, separately cast, of the lion's skin traditionally draped over the left arm and and shoulder of Herakles. The 11 1/2-inch high statue is very finely crafted although its right left is damaged and it is missing its big toe on the right foot. It is estimated at $90,000 to $120,000, reflecting its impressive size and fine quality. It was passed at $75,000.

A lovely 23 1/8 inch high marble figure of a muse, Roman Imperial, circa 1st Century, A.D., Lot 162, sold within its estimate for a hammer price of $24,000. The headless statue had very fine drapery and a fine color. Another handsome, headless, draped marble figure, identified in this instance as the Goddess Hygieia because she is holding a serpent, from the same period, Lot 164, about twice the size of Lot 162, also sold within its estimate for $60,000.

Less attractive are a pair of bronze protomes from the same period of the forequarters of Molossian hounds. The finely detailed sculptures, Lot 181, probably fittings from a galley or chariot, are more than 9 inches long and were consigned by the estate of Mrs. John Hay Whitney, which may account for the aggressive estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. The lot sold for $190,000. A pair of quite stylized and handsome bronze lion-head handles from about a century later than the hounds is Lot 185, which are also aggressively estimated at $50,000 to $80,000. They come from the Allan Caplan Trust, and were passed at $32,500.

A very fine marble portrait head of a man, Roman Imperial, late Hadrianic or early Antonine, circa AD 130-145, Lot 200, is a superb sculpture in excellent condition. The cover illustration of the catalogue, it is conservatively estimated at $125,000 to $175,000. It sold for $110,000. The auction also has a very fine portrait head of a woman with almost the same dating, Lot 194, that is estimated at $50,000 to $70,000 and was formerly in the collection of Hagop Kevorkian. It sold for $40,000. Another fine work from the same general period is Lot 196 is a marble portrait bust of the Emperor Trajan that is conservatively estimated at $40,000 to $60,000. It sold for $57,500. Lot 201, a marble portrait head of a woman, Roman Imperial, Antonine, or Severan, circa A.D. 150-200, was hammered done for twice her low estimate of $60,000. The woman's hair was exquisited carved but the face had a badly damaged nose and was missing most of its jaw, while Lot 200, was in fabulous condition!

Among the Egyptian pieces, Lot 62, a serpentine figure of a man, late 26th - 27th Dynasty, circa 550-404 B.C., 7 5/8 inches high, is very fine and conservatively estimated at $12,000 to $18,000. It sold for $55,000. Lot 25, an unfinished and not impressive carved limestone figure of a man, 5th-6th Dynasty, 2520-2195 B.C., 45 inches tall, was hammered down for $130,000, more than four times its $30,000 low estimate. Lot 28, a 18 1/2 inch high bronze figure of Osiris, 30th Dynasty/Ptolemaic Period, circa 380-350 B.C., was sold for $130,000, more than twice its low estimate. The large piece was in excellent condition except that it was missing the head of the snake at the front of its helmet and part of its rectangular base was damaged in the front.

Egyptian limestone reliefs did very well especially as the quality of the several lots offered was not outstanding. Lot 37, for example, was a 14 1/4 inch fragment from the 19th Dynasty, probably reign of Seti I, 1290-1279 B.C., and was hammered down for $50,000, five times its low estimate. The carving of a head of a nobleman was very fine but his cheek was damaged.

Another nice piece is Lot 326, a bronze figure of the Horus falcon flanked by two striding lions, 26th Dynasty, 664-525 B.C., that is estimated at only $2,000 to $3,000. It sold for $5,750 (including the buyer's premium).

The auction has three excellent and desirable Ibis sculptures, Lots 52, 53 and 328. The first is a bronze and alabaster figure of a standing bird, 8 1/2 inches high and estimated at $12,000 to $18,000. It sold for its low estimate. The second, shown below, 6 7/8 inches long, is similar but the bird is seated and it has the same estimates. It sold for its high estimate. The third lot is a very nice bronze sculpture, 4 inches high, that is estimated at $2,000 to $3,000. It sold for $3,757 (including the buyer's premium).

Another consigned by the estate of Mrs. John Hay Whitney is an exquisite Greek bronze figure of a horse, Geometric Period, 8th Century B.C., Lot 107. This highly stylized and beautiful work, shown below, has a very subtle serrated mane. It is 3 5/8 inches high and has an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000, reflecting the Whitney provenance that has proven very successful this season. It sold for $170,000! (A slightly smaller bronze horse of the same period, Lot 111, but in much inferior condition is estimated at only $4,000 to $6,000. It sold for $8,000.)

Another small Greek bronze, Lot 108, has the same estimate as the Whitney horse, but while it is also highly stylized it does not have the same grace. It is a figure of a recumbent goat and is dated circa 550-530 B.C. It sold for $120,000, twice its high estimate.

Lot 149, an impressive Hellenistic bronze figure of Alexander the Greeat, circa 3rd Century B.C., 19 1/4 inches tall, was hammered down for $220,000, well over its $120,000 high estimate. The figure's hair was slightly damaged and it was missing its left hand, but otherwise it was an imposing, if not exciting work.

Other Greek works include Lot 142, a very nice Attic Black-Figure Column Krater, circa 510 B.C., that is estimated at only $12,000 to $18,000, and Lot 144, a superb Attic Black-Figure Lekythos, circa 540-530 B.C., that is estimated at $80,000 to $120,000. The former sold for $17,000 and the latter was hammered down for $95,000.