Art from antiquity

It is rare to see such a rich selection of Mediterranean antiquities in our part of the world, but it is nevertheless the case at our international auction, at which we will be offering 24 items dating from the 3rd millennium BCE to the 3rd century CE.

4 December 2014

Grey marble Gorgon Medusa head. From the Traianeum, Pergamon. Roman, 2nd century AD. H. 38 cm . Estimate: DKK 700,000.

Large funerary red-figured hydria. Attributed to The Baltimore Painter. Apulian 4th century BC. H. 66 cm. Estimate: DKK 200,000.

Egyptian wood sarcophagus lid fragment. Egypt, Late Period to early Ptolemaic, 3rd century BC. H. 78 cm. W. 44 cm. Estimate: DKK 50,000.

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One of the highlights is the Roman Medusa head from Zeus Philios’ temple, the Trajaneum at Pergamon. The temple, which was built in the period 114–129 CE as a tribute to Zeus, was excavated by the archaeological museum Antikensammlung Berlin in the late 19th century. Medusa was one of the Gorgons in Greek mythology.

Ancient grave offerings

In ancient times, it was believed that the deceased lived on after death in one form or another. The deceased was therefore buried with items to be used in the underworld. The Apulian hydria up for auction was made specifically for a burial. Hydriai were generally used by women to fetch water, but the vase up for auction has no base, which is quite common in Apulian grave vases, and therefore it has only been used as a grave offering for a woman’s grave. This is a red-figure vase depicting typical scenes of female life. On the upper frieze, a woman is preparing for her wedding.

We are extremely fortunate today that so much importance was attached to burials in ancient times because this has provided posterity with valuable knowledge about the rituals and living conditions of that day. The auction features antiquities from no fewer than three different types of burials: a fragment of a sarcophagus that housed a mummy from the Ptolemaic period (3rd century BCE), a Roman child’s sarcophagus of marble from the Roman Imperial period (2nd century CE) and a Roman urn of marble (1st century CE) in which the deceased’s ashes were stored.

Roman portraits

The auction also features several antiquities that were the reserve of the living. A Roman bust probably once adorned a wealthy Roman home. Style-wise, the bust harks back to a great many famous portraits of Antinous. A favourite of Emperor Hadrian, he was deified after his death and is therefore recognisable from many portraits.

It is extremely rare for antiquities of such high quality and character to go under the hammer in Denmark because many countries today cherish their own cultural heritage, and international conventions restrict trade in antiquities. Therefore, it is only possible to buy and sell antiquities that have been on the market for several years, as is the case with the antiquities up for auction.

Preview and auction

A preview of all the antiquities will be held at Bredgade 33 in Copenhagen from Thursday 20 November to Monday 24 November. The auction itself will be held at 3 pm on Wednesday 26 November.

View all the antiquities

View the lots of the entire auction

Read about bidding

For further information, please contact:

Alexandra Nilsson: +45 8818 1164 · ani@bruun-rasmussen.dk

For further information, please contact:

Alexandra Nilsson: +45 8818 1164 · ani@bruun-rasmussen.dk

For further information, please contact:

Alexandra Nilsson: +45 8818 1164 · ani@bruun-rasmussen.dk