Estimated just $800-$1,200, this ancient Egyptian bronze sculpture of Thoth, the patron of scribes, possibly late to mid Ptolemaic period, posted a final price of $40,625.
Review by W.A. Demers
GLEN COVE, N.Y. — Roland Auctions NY’s June 29 sale was typically large and featured an extensive collection of antiquities from a New York City collection as well as lots of fine art, decorative arts, Twentieth Century modern, antique and vintage furniture and more.
Estimated just $800-$1,200, an ancient Egyptian bronze Thoth sculpture, possibly late to mid Ptolemaic period (305-30 BCE), overwrote the expectation to post a final price of $40,625. Modeled as a pharaoh with headdress centered with a lunar disc, the figure had animal-head motifs to the shoulders and phallus. Overall, it stood 10¼ inches high. Among the ancient Egyptians’ many gods, Thoth, the patron of scribes, was believed to have invented writing and hieroglyphics, and having created languages for both humans and gods.
It was a marriage of antiquities and paintings that sparked the sale’s $415,000 total, although there was much more in this estate collections sale. The sell-through rate was 85 percent and registered bidders numbered about 250.
Hsia Yan’s (Taiwanese/Chinese, b 1932) painting, a modern abstract interior scene with seated figures, was titled “Les Chevaliers de Table Ronde” (Knights of the Round Table) and revealed Francis Bacon’s influence on the artist in the 1960s. Signed lower left, titled verso and dated 1965, Paris, the 28-by-28-inch work (less frame) sold for $13,750.
Hsia Yan’s painting, a Modern abstract interior scene with seated figures, was titled “Les Chevaliers de Table Ronde” (Knights of the Round Table). Signed lower left, titled verso and dated 1965, Paris, the 28-by-28-inch work (less frame) sold for $13,750.
A set of six large oils on canvas crossed the block, fetching $11,250. The artist was Ushio Shinohara (Japanese, b 1932), who favored abstract studies in many colors, shapes and figures. Signed and dated 1982 lower right, each panel measured 49 by 95 inches.
Two works by Armenian artist Minas Avetisyan (1928-1975) were among the top sellers, the highest price, $10,625, attained for “Evening,” a Fauvist landscape. The oil on canvas painting was dated 1973, unframed, signed and dated right, inscribed and dated verso, together with a certificate of authenticity from Gayane and Arman Avetisyan.
Returning to antiquities, a carved marble torso of Venus Pudica, a sculpture rendered in the ancient Roman manner, took $9,375. The figure was modeled as the torso of the Capitoline Venus and raised on an ebonized plinth base.
A furniture highlight was a Danish Modern desk by Peter Lovig Nielsen for Dansk. It sold for $3,750.
And a colorful Picasso Madoura ceramic plate, a glazed oval ceramic piece with a fish in the center, brought $28,125. Its back side bore the impression “Madoura Plein Feu, Empreint Originale de Picasso” and it measured 13 by 10 inches.
Prices given include the buyer’s premium as stated by the auction house. For information, www.rolandauctions.com or 212-260-2000.
