Western antiquities, Samson Spanier

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Posted in Apollo magazine:

http://www.apollo-magazine.com/artic...ear=2004&id=10

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Western antiquities

Samson Spanier

The past year has seen a concerted effort by auction houses and dealers to

put past troubles in the market behind them, and concentrate on

well-provenanced objects of high quality.


1 Head of Tiberius, Roman, c. ad 14. Parian marble. Acquired by the Carlos

Collection of Ancient Art in 2003.

Photo: Bruce White

The turbulence experienced by the antiquities market in recent years was

thought at times to be severe enough to damage greatly, or even bring down,

the entire trade. Riddled with criminal convictions, lootings in Iraq,

cancelled art fairs, new import laws, and ever-growing restitution and

provenance demands, many speculated that these issues were just too heavy

for the market to bear. However, a surprising resilience and unexpected

buoyancy has emerged during the past year. This upswing is due in large part

to the positive, proactive stance taken by auction houses and private

dealers, who have proven that they are willing and able to meet the growing

demands from museums and private collectors for beautiful and legitimate

objects. This transformation has slightly reduced the size of the market,

which is now dominated by those objects demonstrating importance, aesthetics

and excellent provenance.

Compared to the huge prices realised in the modern and contemporary markets

lately, antiquities provide an excellent opportunity for the collector who

seeks to purchase great art within a reasonable budget. The global market

for antiquities is still much undervalued, as great objects, including

ancient jewellery, can be purchased for as little as $1,000. Joanna van der

Lande, director of antiquities at Bonhams in London, comments on their

strategy for attracting new buyers to the market: 'We strongly believe in

offering the lower value lots of £1,000 and less which enable new collectors

and dealers or those with a more modest pocket to participate in this

market.'

This value-based approach is certainly a much-needed balance to the many

world records attained in the past year, a fact that has swayed some

established antiquities collectors to let go of part or all of their

collections. Great works are now regularly surfacing at sales from renowned

private collections, giving the market a much-needed dose of credibility and

an infusion of excitement. Hicham Aboutaam, co-founder of Phoenix Ancient

Art sa in Geneva, comments on this development: 'It has been exciting to see

that the upsurge in prices has tempted some individuals whose collections

have been dormant for years to offer their possessions, which has led to

more spectacular artworks coming to the market for the first time.'

An important new trend of 2003-2004 saw private collectors bidding for

themselves for top lots at public auction. In December 2003, Christie's in

New York sold an impressive Roman bronze figure of an emperor, dated to the

2nd/3rd century ad at $1,799,500, the year's highest price for any antiquity

at auction. It went from a renowned collector, Asher Edelman, to another

private collector. At Sotheby's sale in June 2004, six of the top ten lots

sold to private collectors, including two objects - an Egyptian granite head

of a king and a Syrian bronze figure of a warrior - selling to the same New

York private collector bidding for himself in the room. Also in June 2004,

Christie's sale in New York had private collectors from the us and Europe

bidding in full force, successfully obtaining seven of the top ten lots,

including a remarkable Roman marble torso of Hercules, of about the 1st-2nd

century ad, sold to an American private collector for $791,500, a world

auction record price for a Roman marble torso.

This trend is due in part to the positive changes made by the auction

houses, which are making efforts to publish as much of an object's known

history as possible. Dealers are certainly aware of the growing demand from

collectors and museums alike for verifiable provenance. Robert Haber,

director of Robert Haber & Co. Ancient Art in New York, notes, 'Within the

complex world of the ancient art market it is becoming more apparent that a

good provenance has a very positive effect on the value of a work of ancient

art.'

However, Jasper Gaunt, curator of Greek and Roman art at the Michael C.

Carlos Museum in Atlanta asserts that 'provenance is a crucial aspect that

must be considered, but it is not the overriding factor. Beauty and

importance are also significant: by far the most important aspect to

consider when acquiring an object is the object itself.' Among the works

recently acquired by the Carlos Museum is arguably one of the finest Roman

imperial portraits in America and certainly the finest portrait of the

Julio-Claudian emperor Tiberius. Purchased by Gaunt from the us trade in

2003, with a provenance dating back to the 1960s, this monumental marble

portrait is one of the most impressive acquisitions in the museum's history.

Collectors' demand for provenance has created another interesting trend.

Antiquities dealers that in previous years kept an intentionally low

profile, rarely opening their gallery doors to the public, have recognised

that education and connoisseurship are fundamental aspects of keeping the

trade alive. Last year Ward & Co. held a museum-quality show of Byzantine

and medieval art at their Park Avenue gallery in New York. Phoenix Ancient

Art plans to bring its Geneva exhibition 'Idols and Mediterranean cult

objects' to its New York gallery this December.


2 Head of a nobleman (The Josephson Head), Egyptian, c. 1878-41 bc. Red

Quartzite, 18.5 x 24 x 21 cm. Acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,

in 2003 from a private collection. Open market estimate: in excess of $2

million



3 Constable-Maxwell cage cup, c. ad 300. Blown or cast glass, diam 18.2 cm.

Bonham's, London. Highly Important Antiquities (14 July 2004), £2.65m



4 Torso of Hercules, Roman, c. 1st-2nd century ad. Marble, ht 132 cm.

Christie's, New York, Antiquities

(8 June 2004), $791,500


Significant acquisitions by museums throughout the world have also added a

positive facet to the antiquities market, as is revealed by the review on

pages 50-55. Qatar will soon be the beneficiary of a new museum in Doha that

will house one of the greatest ancient art collections known, if the

purchases made by Sheikh Saud Al-Thani in recent years are any indication of

what will be on view. Masterpieces recently acquired by the Sheikh are

reported to include the famous Constable-Maxwell cage-cup that sold for

£2,646,650 at Bonhams in London this July, breaking its own world record,

set in 1997, for the highest price ever paid for ancient glass.

Asia is back on the purchasing scene after a hiatus of several years. The

Miho Museum in Japan is home to some of the finest western antiquities in

the world, and has quietly amassed their collections by purchasing both at

auction and through the trade. It reportedly bought two important objects at

the sale at Christie's in London in October 2004 of the Leo Mildenberg

collection of ancient animals (see pages 62-63): the Middle Kingdom faience

hippopotamus that set a world record for the highest price paid for Egyptian

faience (£621,250); and a Mesopotamian inlaid limestone leopard dating from

the 4th millennium bc.

On the occasion of the celebrations in 2003 of the centenary of the Egyptian

collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Rita Freed, chief curator

of Egyptian art, was encouraged by the museum's director to acquire one

incredible object that would enhance their already world-class collection.

Freed was able to purchase a masterpiece through the kindness of renowned

New York collector Jack Josephson. Nicknamed 'Nobleman' but formally

referred to as The Josephson Head, this Middle Kingdom (Late Dynasty XII,

1878-1841 BC) quartzite portrait of a man is considered by many experts to

be one of the finest Egyptian portraits known. Although the museum will not

divulge the cost of the sculpture, it is thought that it would easily sell

in the $2 million-range on the open market.

The December New York antiquities sales continue to impress, including

beautiful objects with solid and interesting provenances, such as the famous

'Marlborough cameo' at Christie's (see pages 40-41). In turn, Sotheby's will

offer the Charles Pankow collection of Egyptian art, one of the largest

private collections of fine Egyptian antiquities to appear on the market in

recent memory, assembled in the 1970s and early 1980s. Among the many

highlights are an alabaster jar inscribed for King Merneptah (1213-1204 BC)

discovered in the king's tomb by Howard Carter shortly before he discovered

the tomb of Tutankhamun, and an impressive bronze figure of the god Osiris,

formerly in the renowned Hilton Price collection, which was sold by

Sotheby's, London, in 1911. Notable recent prices 2002-2004

Western antiquities

Roman bronze figure of an emperor, c. 2nd-3rd century ad, (Christie's, New

York, 11 December 2003) - $1,034,195

Greek marble head of a horse, 6th century BC, (Boisgirad, Paris, 7 October

2004) - ?2,849,259

Roman fluorspar cup ('The Barber cup'), c. AD 1st century, (Charles Ede,

London, January 2004) - £150,000

The 'Constable-Maxwell cup', c. ad 300, (Bonham's, London, 14 July 2004) -

£2,646,650

Egyptian faience hippopotamus, (Christie's, London, 27 October 2004) -

£621,250

Egyptian limestone bust of a man, 5th Dynasty, 2520-2360 BC, (Sotheby's, New

York, 9 December 2003) - $232,000






End of article

For information, contact "Hicham Aboutaam" at Phoenix Ancient Art at

http://www.phoenixancientart.com/con...ncientart.html