Rare / Tall South Arabian Sandstone Statue of a Man

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Exceptional Day 1: Antiquities & Asian Art

By Artemis Gallery

Sep 26, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-09-26 10:00:00 2019-09-26 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Day 1: Antiquities & Asian Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-day-1-antiquities-asian-art-4437
Day 1 of an important 2-day auction featuring exceptional, museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Viking, Russian, Near Eastern, as well as Asian Art from China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma and India. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Ancient South Arabia, modern northwestern Saudi Arabia, ca. 3rd century BCE. An intriguing and extremely rare statue of a male, hand-carved from pale red sandstone. The man stands atop an integral plinth, has shallow grooves atop the feet indicative of sandals or other footwear, holds his arms stiffly against his sides with clenched hands, and wears a knee-length tunic with a broad band incised atop the waist and lower chest. His peaceful visage is defined by recessed eyes beneath heavy brows, a bar-shaped nose above an incised mouth, an angled jawline, and rectangular ears, all beneath a flat coiffure that drapes to his shoulder blades. The rigid posture of the figure suggests that it was carved with funerary intentions, perhaps as an effigy of the deceased or as a tomb offering. Size: 7.25" W x 19.625" H (18.4 cm x 49.8 cm); 21.9" H (55.6 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  This sculpture, with a style perhaps inspired by Egyptian prototypes, is distinctly reminiscent of a small series of royal statues from the short-lived Kingdom of Lihyan, found in Wadi Al-Ula in the northwest corner of Saudi Arabia. Wadi Al-Ula was an important stop-over for travelers along the incense road, and their structures and statuary were characterized by the red sandstone inselbergs that were sculpted by nature; this type of red sandstone is used for this figurative example. Although there are no identifying royal inscriptions on this statue, the material and the stylistic features most closely place it in the Lihyanite sculptural tradition.
  
  Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #137838

  Condition

  Small losses to areas of base, feet, hands, face, hair, and verso as shown. Minor abrasions and nicks to limbs, body, and head, with softening to some finer details, heavy encrustations, and a few small excisions. Nice earthen deposits throughout.
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