Showing posts with label ancient art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ancient art. Show all posts

Friday, December 7, 2012

Sadigh Gallery Christmas Sale 2012

Make your gift stand out this holiday season by buying your loved ones ancient artifacts. Check out our latest Christmas Flyer loaded with exclusive deals and unique gift ideas. Visit our website sadighgallery.com or call us Toll Free at 1(800)426-2007 if you need additional information.
Happy Holidays, from all of us at Sadigh Gallery.
CHRISTMAS DELIVERY GUARANTEED!


Also check out the video below to see more of our staff-picked items for the holiday.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Sadigh Gallery Update November 23 2012


Greetings from Sadigh Gallery
Well, December, the final month of the year, is approaching, and New York City is becoming a more festive city than ever before.  The retail stores are dressed up in their fascinating holiday decorations, and Christmas songs can be heard from anywhere in the city!   Before the cold and long winter is here, this would be the best timing to experience the cheerful and lively New York City atmosphere.  If you are visiting New York City during this holiday season--Here are some ongoing shows and events that may interest the ancient artifacts aficionados.

Metropolitan Museum

Chinese Gardens
Pavilions, Studios, Retreats
August 18, 2012–January 6, 2013


Buddhism along the Silk Road

5th–8th Century

June 2, 2012–February 10, 2013


Objects from the Kharga Oasis

August 14, 2012–August 4, 2013


Of course, after going to those places, we would like you to come visit us, too!  Unlike in Museums and high-end galleries in uptown Manhattan area, you may come in to our showroom to touch and feel the ancient relics on display.   We are currently holding a special sale during holiday seasons as well.  If you are looking for unique gifts for this holiday that are not like any other, feel free to consult with us and we will be happy to present great ancient artifacts that would make great gifts. If you live far from New York but are still interested in knowing what we have, visit our website http://www.sadighgallery.com or request for our free color catalog!
Here are some of the new collections of ancient artifacts that are currently available at the gallery:

Ancient Egyptian. Carved  amethyst horse, in a reclining pose. Translucent colors include light purple and green. A symbol of prestige, wealth and status. Ptolemaic. 305-30 BC
(3" x 3")

Ancient Egyptian. Carved pale carnelian scarab with traces of red. 26th Dynasty. 633-532 BC (¾" )


Ancient Egypt. Light green glazed faience amulet shows a triad of three Gods, Harpokrates, Isis, and Neith, traces of light blue. In Egyptian mythology, a "triad" is a group of three Gods that make up a family unit. Loop on the backside. Ptolemaic. 305-30 BC (1 ¾" x 1 ¼" )

Ancient Greek. Bronze reclining sphinx with an elaborate braided coiffure, the braided necklace draping across her naked breasts, a small rectangular platform resting on her back. Finely detailed with serene face. Green patina with a light earthen patina. 400 BC(3 ½" x 2 ½")




Thank you, and stay tuned for more updates from Sadigh Gallery!

Friday, October 19, 2012

New Announcement from Sadigh Gallery!


Sadigh Gallery is currently holding a limited-time online sale!
Sadigh Gallery's ONLINE FALL SALE

10 % Discount PLUS FREE SHIPPING on Online Artifacts! 
*10 % Discounts will not be applied on already discounted (40%~50%) Bargain Lots items.
Free Shipping is offered only on orders from U.S. and Canada only.
Don't miss the opportunity...The sale ends on October 31, 2012! Visit our website, www.sadighgallery.com to view more artifacts!
Secondly-- we are proud to introduce you to our specialized AncientEgyptian WEB Page!
Ancient Egyptian Artifacts are number one on an average collector’s list. Educate yourself on the history, significance and various uses of these artifacts by visiting sadighgalleryegpyt.com.
This new website, from Sadigh Gallery, serves as a portal into the world of ancient Egypt. Dive right in to explore this world and be prepared to be informed about ancient Egyptian gods, animal symbolism, the function of Scarabs and Ushabtis, Cartonnage, Sarcophagus 
and many more. Sadigh Gallery is every collector’s dream come true. We boast an impressive collection of Egyptian artifacts, all guaranteed authentic and at affordable price. 
Don't miss this opportunity to purchase any Egyptian artifacts you see on this site with 10% Discount and Free shipping deals! 

Monday, September 10, 2012

New Additions at Sadigh Gallery


Greetings from Sadigh Gallery!
We have recently acquired a collection of many exquisite artifacts from collectors and estates. 
Here are some of the beautiful pieces currently available at Sadigh Gallery:

Ancient Egyptian Alabaster Vessel


Carved beige alabaster flask with two small loops protruding from the sides. Middle Kingdom. 2040 - 1786 BC (5" x 2 ½" )

Ancient Roman Bronze Cupid Inlay
 
Bronze winged Cupid, aiming with a bow and arrow.  Green patina. 100 AD - 200 AD (2" x 1 ¾" )

Ancient Roman Silver Cupid Pendant
 
Silver pendant of winged Cupid, a loop on the top for stringing.  200 AD (1")

European Marble Statue 
 
Carved marble statue of a muscular male, the left hand to the forehead, the right hand broken, the robe from the shoulder and covering the lower part of the body.  The face shows intricately carved  details. 1800's AD (36" x 12" x 7")

European Bronze Statue of a Soldier
 
Hollow bronze statue of a standing soldier on a decorative base. The soldier holds a spear in one hand, wears an armor, cloak over one shoulder, and  a helmet decorated with a winged dragon. Extremely fine details.  1700's AD (18" x 7" )

These are some of our favorite pieces and we believe they will be well received by any collectors.  The details on these pieces are simply magnificent.
Stay tuned for more Sadigh Gallery updates in future!  

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Ancient Chinese Jade Artworks


The Chinese have had a love affair with Jade - and other beautiful stones - for thousands of years. The appeal of Jade to the ancient Chinese was due to its toughness, luster, multiplicity of colors and the transformation it underwent when heated. The burning of Jades in pre-burial cremation ceremonies was essential for members of the ruling class in many areas and periods of ancient China. Confucius compared the qualities of Jade to those of a cultured man. The appreciation of archaic Chinese Jades involves more than just the enjoyment of their solemn aloofness and brilliant luster. One must look beyond their physical properties - what can be seen and touched - to the metaphysical spirit that they embody. This spirit is born of the Chinese veneration of heaven and ancestors. It grows moreover from a culture that seeks to live in harmony with nature.

With the exception of a few simple objects like round and flat discs with central holes (called Bi or pi, symbolizing Heaven, and deriving from early sun-worship) and drilled beads for stringing, the earliest Jades are prohibitively rare.

Starting about 2,000 BC the population in China was expanding, and with it the demand for and ability to find and transport the raw stone (usually from far away places) to craft centers where fine Jade objects were created for the arising nobility. Being a large and diverse land, the Chinese found many raw materials suitable for object creation, all of which were called Yu.

“Stone of heaven” is a term used by the Chinese to describe what they view as the most precious of gems - Jade. To understand the importance of Jade to the Chinese is to gain insight into their culture and history. Jade is woven into the very fabric of Chinese ethos and it has been from the earliest Neolithic cultures that thrived in what became known as China.

It is only recent, owing to controlled archaeological digs of the last few decades and the use of modern scientific dating techniques, that it has become clear that Jade work in China extends back over a long period prior to the Shang era. In fact, Chinese archaic Jades of the Bronze Age and later are the product of a long development process, extending so far back through the Neolithic period (to about 5500 B.C.) that the period of Jade working before the Shang era now appears to be longer than what used to be considered the classic period of archaic Jades, i.e. the Shang to Western Han.

Please enjoy our collection of fine  jade artworks from ancient Chinese era:

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Ancient Glass History


Little is known about the production of glass in the ancient world.  One early source, Pliny the Elder (AD 23 – 89), reported the tale of natron (soda) merchants who, when they stopped to prepare a meal, supported their cooking vessels on the beach with blocks from their cargo.  The heat of the fire fused natron and sand, and a new substance was formed.  This, Pliny says, was the origin of glass.

Glass-like materials were used in Egypt long before the production of glass itself.  Egyptian faience, a popular material used in the production of amulets and small vessels, was a mixture of quartz sand with an alkali binder.   It was molded, and then fired, causing a bright glaze to migrate to the surface.  Real glass is more difficult to produce, because its ingredients must be heated to a high enough temperature to melt and then fuse completely.  Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets contain some references to glass making, indicating that it was a very difficult and secret undertaking.  There is no ancient recipe for the making of glass, but it may be that in an attempt to duplicate the glazes formed in pottery making, the mixture of sand, soda and lime bonded compatibly, thus forming the 4,000 year old lump of blue rod found near Eshuna, which dates from 2,000 BC, is the earliest glass that has been found.

In about 1,500 BC, the technique of “core forming” developed in both Egypt and Mesopotamia.  This new method was an important breakthrough in glass making.  It was a technique that remained in use for over a thousand years, allowed for the production of glass vessels in a thousand years, and allowed for the production of glass vessels in variety of shapes.  A core of mud of about the same size as the completed vessel was placed on the end of an iron rod.  A second rod was dipped into containers of colored molten glass, and the glass was wound around the core material.  This process was repeated many times until the core was covered.  The next step was to wind bands of colored glass around the core glass and to comb them into a design.  The final additions – the rim, the base and may be the handles – were added last.  The piece was slowly cooled and then polished.  It was a lengthy and expensive process, and core-formed glass was available only to rulers and nobility. 

The Millefiori technique (Italian for “a thousand flowers”) was also known in Mesopotamia as early as 1500 BC.  This method required a group of various colored glass rods to be placed in a cylindrical mold.  They were heated and fused together, and were then pulled from a small tube, like taffy.  This created a pattern that was then sliced and placed side by side into a decorative mold, in order to create the final shape.  This method too was expensive and time consuming to produce and its colorful patterns were again available only to the wealthy.

Glass blowing was probably the greatest single advance in glass technology.  This revolutionary process was discovered around the middle of the first century BC and seems to have been practiced from the first century AD on.  It involved capturing a molten glass bubble on a hollow metal blowpipe and inflating it to the desired shape and size.  It could be either blown free form or blown into a mold, or a combination of two.  The speed and relative ease with which this technique could be handled opened new vistas for the production and use of glass in the ancient world. 

Glass blowing developed at a time when the Roman Empire, under Augustus Caesar and his successors, wanted peace (Pax Romana), stability and a better way of life, and this included consumer goods.  The combination of a new technology and a demand on the part of the Roman citizen allowed the new method to forge ahead, and blown glass began to rival pottery and metalwork, both in speed of production and in variety of shapes and sizes.  Its smooth surface was easy to clean for reuse, eliminating the storage problem of porous pots.

Syria became the “glass factory” of the Roman Empire, and goods were shipped and stored in glass bottles and wine flowed from glass jugs.  Blown glass was finally inexpensive and available to all.

Today, many examples of ancient Roman Glass are available to collectors.  Unguentaria or “tear bottles”, as they are often called, are the most common items of Roman blown glass.  They vary in size, but usually have a somewhat bulbous base with a long slender neck and a flat rim.  The color varies from colorless to pale blue/ greenish hues, and they sometimes are covered with an iridescent patina.  Unguentaria were used for perfumes, cosmetics, and oils, and are fine examples of ancient glass that can be collected today.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Luristan Became a Center of Skilled Metalworkers


Luristan bronzes have been prized for their unique designs and fine craftsmanship since antiquity.  Geographically, Luristan is the central province in Iran’s western frontier, the area where production of richly decorated bronzes flourished from about 1200 to 800 B.C. 

The formidable terrain of the region, sweeping plains, and high valleys intersected by the Zagros Mountains, encouraged the development of small, separated communities in ancient times.  The economy of these communities was dependent upon horse breeding, some agriculture, and control of the north-south trade routes. By about 2500 B.C. these tribes lived in semi-permanent settlements, which became the early bronze working centers.  

The Luristan smiths became masters of casting by the ‘cireperdue’ or ‘lost wax’ method.  This technique required the modeling of an object in wax, often over a clay core for stability, and then coating the wax with clay.  The subsequent firing of the piece hardened the clay, and melted the wax which ran out through prepared vents.  The resulting mold was then filled with molten metal and left to cool.  When the mold was broken away, the bronze piece was smoothes and finished as necessary.  The versatility of this method encouraged innovative design, and allowed for the production of a variety of bronze tools, implements, decorations and figures.  

The tribes of western Persian were outstanding horsemen and warriors, and decorative horse bits, harness fittings, and rein rings were among their most interesting equipment. 

Ingenious zoomorphic shapes appear on much of the Luristan bronze work. Fantastic animals with elongated bodies form handles and spouts of a variety of vessels.  The same animal forms appear as cult symbols on ceremonial pins and finials.  The “Master of Animals” design, often used on pins and finials is one of the most popular but baffling motifs.  A humanoid figure is flanked by a pair of mythical and rearing beasts, which in some instances he appears to be subduing.  The human figure has been equated with Gilgamesh and with the Mesopotamian “heroes”.  The origin of the whole motif is, however, maybe archaic, and evolved from an early stage in the religion.  

The primary function of any metal industry in antiquity was the production of weapons and tools.   This, too, was an area in which the Luristan smiths excelled.  Their mastery of weapons included a wide variety of swords, daggers and spear points, as well as arrowheads, mace heads, and ax heads.  

Bronze blades were relatively soft and required frequent re-sharpening, thus the whetstone became an important piece of equipment.  

The first bronze blades were cast with a short tang, which was riveted to a simple wooden handle.  Very fine dagger blades were occasionally fitted with a separately cast bronze of copper hilt, that was then riveted to the tang.  Some of these blades have been found with cuneiform inscriptions from the Royal Houses of Babylon and Elam. 

Even after the blade and hilt were cast as one piece (about 1200 B.C.) this style was copied and the rivets were cast as a design motif.  Eventually, blades were cast with a flanged hilt.  This allowed for a decorative inlay in the handle of bone, ivory or wood.  

The Luristan bronze industry died out after 800 B.C. when the tribal aristocracy lost its power to the invading Medes, and the smiths lost their wealthy patrons. 

Many fine examples of Luristan bronze work are available to collectors from Sadigh Gallery,  from miniature ceremonial animals to horse gear and swords and daggers.   Visit our Luristan collection page at: http://www.sadighgallery.com/luristan.html