SOUTH ARABIAN ALABASTER FACE STELE
Ca. 300 BC.
A hand-carved alabaster head of a man delineated in high relief, perhaps from a funerary stele, presenting a quixotic visage comprised of gazing, wide-open eyes, an arched browline, a nose, and closed lips that suggest a subtle, endearing overbite. During the first millennium BC, this part of the ancient world saw several different kingdoms; Qataban, Saba (Sheba), and Himyar, emerge that had built their wealth upon desert trade and in particular frankincense and myrrh. For a similar see The British Museum, Registration number 1985,0223.34.
Size: L:165mm / W:115mm ; 1.7kg
Provenance: Property of a West London gentleman; previously in a collection formed on the UK/International art market in the 1980s.
Estimate: GBP 450 - 900