15th Century and Earlier Sculptures

Standing angel with banner Flemish Around 1450/60 Sandstone 60 x 21 x 15 cm This museum figurine shows a standing angel with a banner in his right hand and a small box in his left. The youthful, ageless figure wears a coat held together with a triangular, floral brooch in front of the chest over a long robe. The angel’s gaze is directed forward, his head tilted slightly to the left. The elongated face is sculpted: the large almond-shaped eyes with accentuated upper and lower eyelids are alertly open and sharp eyebrows lead directly into the root of the nose. The straight nose above the pronounced mouth completes the idealized oval face of the angel and his calm, internalized facial expression. What is particularly remarkable, however, is the magnificent curls, which are only partially tamed by a simple headband. As if puffed up by the wind, the hair, which is sometimes streaked in parallel, sometimes wildly twisted and richly curled, stands out dynamically from the ears. The tilted head with these sideways protruding waves of hair thus conveys an immediate impression of movement. The physicality of the sculpture is expressed particularly through this organic, lifelike movement of the loosened hair. The lively overall impression of the figure is further enhanced by the multiple rolled banners that the angel presents to the viewer. The outstretched palm of the right hand appears both intimate and confidential as well as mystically revealing. This banderole winds in gentle curves in front of the figure’s body, throws a fold over the second attribute in the angel’s left hand and falls downwards in a loose manner. The volute-shaped rolled up end of the banner clearly shows the fine texture of the banner and at the same time draws the viewer’s attention to the small cube-shaped box that the angel is holding in its slender, long-limbed fingers. The cube is decorated with a Gothic quatrefoil motif, which is often seen in the architectural tracery of windows, but was also often used to decorate caskets and other small treasures. The sweeping gestures in the presentation of the attributes suggest three-dimensionality, in contrast to the tubular folds at the base of the neck and the intricate draperies in flat and multiple overlapping garment sections. The soft curves of the folds give the impression that the clothing is made of a heavy fabric that falls diagonally down the front and is laid in several bowl folds under the right hand. Overall, the sculptural work testifies to the highest artistic skill, which emphasizes the virtuosity of sculpture in its precious and representative overall impression. The memorable characteristics recognizable here can be seen in comparable pictorial works from Utrecht around the middle of the 15th century, when sculptural art – especially stone sculpture – was characterized by a remarkably high quality. Particularly noteworthy is the accentuated Utrecht head type with an elongated oval face, almond-shaped eyes with heavy lids and dense, vividly protruding tufts of hair framing the head. For example, the figure is comparable to a capital of an angel on the east side of the rood screen of the Joriskerk in Amersfoort (province of Utrecht) from the second quarter of the 15th century. Not only the physiognomy and hair, which in the comparative example stand somewhat more horizontally to one side, but also the garment puff above the girdle are similar. Even more related motifs, such as the cleverly placed bowl folds, can be found on the limestone figure...

A Chinese, Sancai glazed pottery earth spirit. Tang Dynasty.

This beautiful cast bronze elephant head is a protome, which in ancient art was a decorative element consisting of a head - sometimes with part of the bust - of a human, animal, or f...

An evocative, 14th century, carved wood statue of a seated Mary with the Christ child in her lap. The piece with a beautiful patina featuring polychrome paint traces. Now mounted on ...

Sitting Madonna Central Italy/Tuscany or Marche Around 1420 Poplar wood carved Original version Height 31 cm Charming Madonna sculpture from the heyday of the Soft or International...

ROMAN RED JASPER APPLIQUE OF TRAGIC ACTOR Rome, 1st Century A.D. 5.5 x 4.2 cm the mask 2 1/4 x 1 3/4 in Provenance Penicuik House, Midlothian, acquired by either Sir John Clerk, 2nd...

Small marble head representing a bearded man in profile, an apostle or a prophet. This sculpture comes from the Joseph Altounian collection dispersed...

Rare, Late Roman Empire (3rd to 5th centuries, C.E.), solid marble bust of a young man. Beautiful patina. Mounted on a later, Carrara marble base.

Pantea Mahrou 1990 - Current Amlash Parallel World, 2025 Bronze 30 x 15 x 8 cm 11 3/4 x 5 7/8 x 3 1/8 in

Nok culture Sitting 500 B.C. - 200 A.D. Terracotta Height 60 cm TL expert opinion of the University of Vienna Prof. Dr. Rudolf Erlach Provenance: Private collection Nice

Pilgrim or saint Jacques figure in sculpted and polychromed limestone. He holds a calabash in his left hand. He probably held the pilgrim's staff in his missing right hand. Very beau...

Bronze figure of a young Eros, caught in the pose of riding a dolphin. Attractive green patina, some fingers and right foot are broken. Separately worked left wing is missing. Right ...

A Sancai, tri color glazed pottery figure of a Tang Dynasty official. Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).

Sensitively carved, solid marble bust of a young boy mounted on a custom, Lucite base. Carved fully in the round, though originally the figure was pa...

Large catalan Virgin of the Annunciation in polychrome wood. Our Virgin is represented in the phase of the Conturbatio, Mary expresses her amazement a...

APOSTLE GROUP ORIGINAL VERSION Flemish/Brabant Around 1500 Oak wood carved Height 37.5 cm, width 12 cm, Depth 12.5 cm

A Chinese Procession Ornament dating from the Liao Dynasty, from 907 to 1125 AD. The Liao Dynasty, also known as the Khitan Empire, was an empire in northern China that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper. It was founded by the Yelu family of the Khitan people in the final years of the Tang Dynasty, even though its first ruler, Yelu Abaoji, did not declare an era name until 916. The Liao Empire was destroyed by the Jurchen of the Jin Dynasty in 1125. However, remnants of its people led by Yelu Dashi established the Xi (or Western) Liao Dynasty 1125 - 1220, also known as Kara - Khitan Khanate, which survived until the arrival of Genghis Khan...

PROVENANCE Herbert A. Cahn (1915-2002), Kunst der Antike, Basel, 1988 Private Collection, Paris

An Indonesian offer post from the Tetum people of Timor Island. The work is stone and is unsigned.

This limestone bust of the Buddha presents a picture of serenity and grace. A rare and striking image, it was sculpted in 6th-century Northern China during the Qi dynasty...

MUSEUM SCULPTURE Master workshop Hans Klocker before 1474, possibly in Gais - After 1500 "CRESCENT MOON" Around 1480/90 Stone pine wood carved Original version Height 77 cm This ext...

MADONNA Il DE FRANCE/PARIS Around 1270 Oak wood carved Height 79cm

Contact Modern Art Etc to inquire availability and price Modern Art Etc presents internationally noted and rising Chinese star, Xie Ai Ge (b.1977). X...