Ancient artefacts in Chiswick auction

Chiswick Auctions will come alive with a wide variety of artefacts from distant and ancient cultures, from ancient Egypt to exotic Oceania and beyond, early next month.

Six different private collections make up the core of the sale; each one representing the personal taste and interests of the man who created them.

The collection of Alexandre Nicolai (1865-1952), Bordeaux, France, reflects the ‘classical’ taste of the time, comprising a fine selection of Egyptian shabtis, classical vessels and a rare Etruscan bronzed iron meat hook, or ‘graffione’ (left).

Of similar taste is the collection of Nikos Paschalis (1918-1948), grandson of Geroge Paschalis, founder of the Paschalion Archaeophylakeyon Museum in Samos in 1912. Highlight of the collection is an Egyptian polychrome wood mummy mask with glass inlays for the eyes and eyebrows (right).

Allan Course, experimental archaeologist known by many for his passion and knowledge in the field of British prehistoric tools, is also offering his private collection of artefacts ranging from the Neolithic Period to the late Bronze Age, selected by him for their quality and condition.

Of a more eclectic nature is the collection of Eberhardt Voigt (1920-1983) which includes Egyptian and Classical antiquities as well as Near Eastern and Tribal artefacts, such as a well preserved Roman terracotta figure of Aphrodite and a Mesopotamian terracotta figure of Astarte (left).

Similarly, the Marcus Brooke (1923-2015) collection was formed by another adventurous traveller and includes a selection of ancient small terracottas such as two Amlash zoomorphic figurines of a bull and a bird.

Celebrated artist and traveller par excellence, Feliks Topolski (1907-1989) collected fine and curious artefacts all around the globe. His collection, offered at Chiswick Auctions, includes a well preserved Elema ‘Eharo’ mask from Papua New Guinea and a large Egyptian wood sarcophagus mask.

A Luba caryatid stool from the Gordon Reece Gallery, a Nepalese shamanic mask, and a finely carved ‘Culacula’ paddle club from the Fiji Islands are amongst the highlights of the Tribal art section.