Christ Salvator Mundi, polychrome wood, Poland, 19th century.
Wooden sculpture depicting Christ as Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World), made in Poland in the 19th century. An example of folk Baroque sculpture, combining a religious theme with a simple, legible form. The full-plastic, frontal figure shows a young Jesus in a gesture of blessing, with a globe in his left hand.
The figure is dressed in a white tunic and blue coat with yellow piping. Remnants of the original polychrome and natural traces of use are visible. The simplified modeling, linear folds and expressive face indicate a folk workshop from southern Poland, representing the late Baroque tradition of devotional sculpture.
Circle of Jan Wijnants, Landscape with Hunters and Travelers by a Lake, oil on panel, Netherlands, 17th century.
This painting depicts a landscape featuring hunters and travelers on a path alongside a lake. Several tall trees dominate the center. A lake is visible to the left, bordered by a road receding towards the horizon. The foreground shows two hunters with a child and a dog, with additional travelers appearing further back. The strategic placement of human figures (staffage) across various planes imbues the landscape with depth. A hill and forest are silhouetted on the horizon. The artwork is presented in a 17th-18th century Baroque frame.
The composition, characterized by the interplay of a body of water, a road, human and animal figures (staffage), and centrally placed trees, distinctly echoes the style of Jan Wijnants.
Coin Necklace, Silver, Rock Crystal, Bronze, Poland, 17th Century
This necklace is crafted from multi-faceted, cut rock crystal beads of varying sizes and clarity, alongside Russian silver kopecks. These small coins are known as 'teardrops' or 'wire kopecks' due to their distinctive shape. Some coins were left flat, with specially made holes allowing them to be strung onto a cord.
The central accent of the composition is an ancient, three-edged Scythian bronze arrowhead, dated to approximately the 7th–6th century BC. In the 17th century, it was set in silver and fitted with a loop for suspension. Its presence indicates that certain finds were perceived as extraordinary objects endowed with special significance, regardless of any lack of knowledge about their origin and function. Undoubtedly, the creator of the necklace had no knowledge of ancient Scythians or their weaponry.
An immense rarity on the collector's market! A great treat for enthusiasts of the culture and traditions of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth!
Crucifix base in the form of a skull topped with a stylized tree trunk, wood, Germany (?), 18th-19th century.
A unique dark wood sculpture featuring a realistically carved human skull, embraced from above by four massive handles resembling claws or roots. These handles converge and twist into a single, compact form, reminiscent of a stylized tree trunk, ending in a flat-cut top surface with a full-width groove, indicating the object was originally part of a larger structure. The skull is carved with meticulous attention to anatomical details, such as cranial sutures, nasal apertures, and dentition. Its form and construction suggest the sculpture served as the base for a memento mori crucifix; the missing element of carved bones beneath the occiput causes the object to currently present with a slight tilt, whereas it was originally positioned vertically.
Cup, silver, Poland (?), 17th-18th century
A cup made of forged silver, likely intended for drinking vodka or other spirits. The vessel has a squat form. The bowl with a semicircular bottom has straight walls, slightly flared upward. The rim is straight, slightly tilted outward and clearly separated from the wall section by a row of concave dots. The bowl has a five-part form – both the rim edge and the walls are divided into five convex segments, separated by vertical fluting. The vessel is set on a low, conical foot and fitted with a flat, S-curved handle. The surface of the bowl is decorated with engraved floral motifs and rocaille ornament.
Similar cups are characteristic of 18th-century Russian silverwork. As a rule, however, they are hallmarked. Our specimen bears no marks, although it undoubtedly came from a fine silversmith's workshop. It is possible that the cup described was made in the 17th century and not in Muscovy at all, but in the east of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This would explain the absence of hallmarks, which is quite normal for Polish silver from that period. At the same time, it should be remembered that the origin of the popular Russian cups is unknown.
Death of Cleopatra, oil on canvas, Italy, 17th-18th centuries.
The painting depicts Cleopatra at the moment of her suicide, shown in half pose, wearing a red, unbuttoned dress with her breasts exposed and a serpent held to her chest - the only attribute that allows clear identification of the scene. The woman, with her alabaster complexion, raised head and upward gaze, is framed against a neutral, dark brown background, in keeping with the tradition of the Bolognese school. The soft chiaroscuro, idealized type of beauty and calm expression point to the influence of painting derived from the circle of Guido Reni and his continuators. The final fragment of the signature "...epolo" or "...epelo" is visible in the lower left corner, indicating the artist's Italian origin. An analysis of the style and the way the figure is depicted allows dating the work to the 17th-18th century, with a probable place of creation in Emilia-Romagna (Italy). The painting is framed in a Baroque frame carved in wood and painted gold.
Egbert van Heemskerck the Younger (1676–1744), Tavern Scene, oil on relined canvas, England, circa. 1695
The painting depicts a genre scene set inside a tavern. A group of men in simple attire indulge in revelry, singing, and drinking. The central figure is a standing man, raising a goblet with one hand and holding a jug in the other. The other figures sit at a table, singing. The rest of the composition fades into the shadows of the dark room.
The painting is by Egbert van Heemskerck the Younger, an English painter specializing in festive and genre scenes. The work is signed with the monogram 'HK' (in ligature) in the lower left corner. The painting, registered in the database of the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD), has been exhibited at Phillips Auctioneers (Fine old master paintings, December 2, 1997, lot number: 229) and Sotheby’s (Old master paintings, May 10, 2011, lot number: 74).
Gallo-Roman sculpture of the head of Eros (?), marble, 1st-3rd century A.D.
Full-plastic head sculpture made of white marble, facial features treated quite schematically except for the characteristic almond-shaped eyes and "Gioconda's smile." The nose is flat, the hair reaching the neck, wavy around the line of the face, at the back the hairstyle treated schematically. The shape of the neck from underneath allows us to conclude that the head was originally part of a larger composition. The sculpture is placed on a custom-made, two-stage pedestal of black marble.
Icon of Our Lady of the Dawn Gate, brass, enamel on metal, Poland, 19th century.
Decorative icon depicting Our Lady of the Dawn Gate, set in an elaborate brass frame with gilding. The representation is made of embossed sheet metal; the face and hands are covered with painted enamel. Background covered with maroon velvet. On the back of the frame a foot for standing and a pendant.