Ancient Chinese Tang Dynasty Pottery Sculpture of a Fat Court Lady

These monumental limestone sphinxes, carved with the idealised visage of Pharaoh Nectanebo I (c. 379-360 BC) atop a lion’s body, are icons of ancient Egyptian culture. Depicted in th...

This ancient Greek greave - or shin pad - transformed into a trophy of war through its inscription, is an enigmatic and iconic display piece. Finely made to protect the left shin, th...

This remarkable stony meteorite is a striking extraterrestrial sculpture, shaped by its journey through space. Almost monolithic in form, its minimal aesthetic gives it striking simi...

Roman Marble Fragment of jupiter Circa 2nd-3rd Century A.D. Measure: Height: 19.7 cm This beautiful Roman fragmentary statuette depicts Jupiter, the king of the gods, here recognisable from his two chief attributes, the eagle with outstretched wings - according the Pseudo-Hyginus, singled out by Jupiter because ''it alone, men say, strives to fly straight into the rays of the rising sun'' - and the base of the scepter, which remains at the side of the left foot, an aspect likely borrowed from the statue of Zeus at Olympia, once one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Though much of the original piece has been lost, the subtle anatomical detail in the feet mark this out as a piece of exceptional quality, and the work of an artist of particular talent and patience - as Johann Winckelmann once said of the famous Belvedere Torso, ''if you contemplate this with a quiet eye [...] the god will at once become visible in this stone.'' This fragment once caught the eye of Henry Howard, 4th Earl of Carlisle (1694-1758), a Knight of the Garter and among the most prolific collectors of his day. The piece, acquired during his travels to Rome, was proudly displayed on an alcove of the Western Staircase of Castle Howard...