This Site Moving to WordPress. Hope You'll Join US There!

Hello:

You'll notice that we've not posted anything here for a few months now and with good reason. We have found blogger.com to be ineffective and very limited in its readership. By contrast, the identical blog we've had going all along at wordpress.com has a very high readership level, resulting in interesting exchanges with all sorts of bloggers, casual readers and serious students of antiquities.

So, if you've been following us here please visit us from now on at: http://clioantiquities.wordpress.com/

We will keep this site open for another 90 days before shutting it down.

Thank you and best wishes,

The Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities Team
http://www.clioancientart.com/

Clio Ancient Art Valentine's Sale

Hello Customers, Friends and Fans of Clio Ancient Art:

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we are holding a sale on selected antiquities. This sale ends 7:00 PM Saturday, February 15.

ROMAN ANTIQUITIES (coins not included), 15% OFF

56 items to select from in stone, ceramic, bronze and glass. You can find these here –

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c15_p1.html

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c16_p1.html

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c17_p1.html

ANCIENT JEWELRY AND PERSONAL ADORNMENT, 15% OFF

36 items, Egyptian, Roman, Byzantine, Medieval European and early Islamic, in silver, bronze, faience, enamel and glass. You can find these here –

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c19_p1.html

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c19_p2.html

BOOKS, CATALOGS AND OTHER PUBLICATIONS, FRAMED AND UNFRAMED ART, 15% OFF

24 items available. You can find these here –

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c25_p1.html

As always, thanks for looking.

Best wishes,

Chris M. Maupin
Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities
Chris Maupin Trust for Ancient Art
PO Box 7714
Wilmington, NC 28406
Phone: 704-293-3411
Web: http://www.clioancientart.com/

Babylon 1947

This faded, tattered old picture is something more personal than our usual offerings here at Clio Ancient Art: A 1947 photo of my extended family, on my mother’s side, on a day trip to visit the ruins of Babylon. They are gathered around, and on, the guardian lion at the Ishtar Gate, carved from basalt and dating to the 6th Century BC.

Is it any wonder I pursued archaeology in academia and later became an antiquities dealer?

Much has changed in the world of archaeology, and in the legitimate antiquities trade, since this image was taken. The very scene where this was taken has undergone dramatic changes, none of them for the better, and not one person in this image is still alive. But whatever tumult this lion of Babylon has seen in the last few decades is certainly no worse than what had come before.

Perhaps this stone lion is a reminder to us of the valuable lessons history has to offer, and the beautiful handiwork of human creativity, if we are prepared to stop and examine the past without sectarian, nationalist, ethnic or religious prejudice.

CONSULTING SERVICES: AUTHENTICATING AND IDENTIFYING ANTIQUITIES

 

Education, authentication and identification are the key elements in building a collection of ancient art. We at Clio Ancient Art are often contacted by private owners, art museums and estate executors wishing to identify objects and learn if the they are genuine ancient artifacts, reproductions, fakes, forgeries, or tourist trinkets. As a service to antiquities collectors, owners and the museum community, Clio Ancient Art provides authentication and identification services. Click here to learn more about this service: http://www.clioancientart.com/id23.html.

Educating oneself is the key to avoiding disappointment upon learning that an “antiquity” one may have purchased is not ancient or genuine, as well as avoiding ethical or legal complications associated with ownership of an antiquity with questionable provenance. Our own links page — http://www.clioancientart.com/id15.html — is a good starting point in building a knowledge base about antiquities and ancient art.

It's Always Nice to Get Positive Press Coverage...

http://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/retail/2014/01/03/clio_debuts_in_wilmington/11225

Antiquities for the Holidays

Hello Customers, Fans and Friends of Clio Ancient Art:

For Black Friday, Cyber Monday and all the other shopping days between now and the end of this year, we’ve loaded our website with many modestly priced fine quality antiquities suitable for holiday gift giving. These include  - 

·         * Several dozen Roman, Byzantine, early Islamic and other ancient and medieval coins of all types, all reasonably priced, including several excellent examples of the coinage of Constantine I. You may find them here: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c18_p1.html

·         * At least 20 examples of Roman bronze brooches of several types. These are very personal antiquities that connect us to the individuals who originally wore them. Many are available for under $100. You may find these in our multi-page Ancient Jewelry section here: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c19_p1.html

·          

      * Ancient oil lamps, including fine Roman redware, Byzantine, Hellenistic and early Islamic examples - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c14_p1.html

·          

      * Ancient glass vessels and objects, mostly Roman, in many shapes, styles, colors and prices - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c13_p1.html and here http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c24_p1.html

·         * As always, we offer fine quality Egyptian antiquities - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c2_p1.html

 

·         * Greek antiquities - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c3_p1.html

·         * Several pages of Roman antiquities - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c15_p1.html and here - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c16_p1.html and here - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c17_p1.html

·        *  And mixed Byzantine, Near Eastern, Medieval and other types of antiquities - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c26_p1.html – and here - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c21_p1.html

Many of the fine quality objects offered in these pages also very moderately priced for holiday gift giving or for treating yourself. Domestic shipping is free (see our website for international shipping costs).

As always, thanks for looking and please don’t hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.

Best wishes,

Chris M. Maupin
Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities
Chris Maupin Trust for Ancient Art
PO Box 7714
Wilmington, NC 28406
Phone: 704-293-3411
Web: http://www.clioancientart.com/

More Fine Antiquities Added to Our Website

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i489.html

Hello Again:


Just a brief note to let you know we’ve added still more fine antiquities to our website.
Here are quick links to some of these –

* Exceptional Roman Bronze Arm, Hand & Purse of Mercury – http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i490.html

* Roman Bronze Bird Fibula (Brooch) with Blue Enamel – http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i489.html

* Mixed Group of 6 Roman Bronze Fibulae (Brooches) – http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i491.html

And many more…

We’ve also added several more excellent Roman coins, some from an exceptional hoard of Constantinian bronzes – http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c18_p1.html

As always, thanks for looking. We will be adding a variety of other objects to the website in December and we will update you at that time.

Best wishes,

Chris M. Maupin
Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities
Chris Maupin Trust for Ancient Art
PO Box 7714
Wilmington, NC 28406
Phone: 704-293-3411
Web: http://www.clioancientart.com/

Latest Clio News: Our Move is Complete, Website Uodated and More!

Hello Customers, Friends & Fans of Clio Ancient Art:

Most of you know that in early October we were planning our move from Charlotte, NC to the coastal City of Wilmington, NC. That move has been completed and we are happily settled in our wonderful new home. Wilmington is a modest sized city of just 110,000 people but thriving, with a lively performing arts scene, major film industry, sophisticated restaurant and food community, a strong academic base with a campus of the University of North Carolina, a large Historic District featuring remarkable homes and public buildings dating from our nation's Colonial Era, the Antebellum period and later, and, of course, magnificent beaches, offshore islands, inland waterways and other natural wonders.

Now that we've settled in, we've updated our website - http://www.clioancientart.com/ - with many fine antiquities. These include -

* An Egyptian writing tablet amulet in moss agate - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i462.html

* 2 small Egyptian Late Period faience ushabtis - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i472.html

and - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i473.html

* A superb Roman bronze zoomorphic brooch in the shape of a duck - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i476.html

* A small Roman bronze zoomorphic brooch in the shape of a stylized Celtic horse - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i474.html

* A Roman bronze zoomorphic brooch in the shape of a standing horse - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i475.html

* Many examples of Romano-British and Pre-Roman Celtic bronze fibulae, too numerous to list individually here but these may be viewed in our "Ancient Jewelry and Personal Adornment" section here - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c19_p1.html

* A great selection of Roman coins in bronze and silver. Far too numerous to list individually here, these are listed in both our Roman Antiquities pages and in our Ancient Coins section - http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/c18_p1.html

Please note our new mailing address below.

Thank you and best wishes,

Chris M. Maupin
Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities
Chris Maupin Trust for Ancient Art
PO Box 7714
Wilmington, NC 28406
Phone (704) 293-3411
http://www.clioancientart.com/

ANTIQUITY OF THE WEEK

OUR OFFERING FOR “ANTIQUITY OF THE WEEK” THIS WEEK IS A SUPERB AND RARE ROMAN GLASS MARBLED UNGUENTARIUM.

Link to this object on our website: http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i84.html

CULTURE / REGION OF ORIGIN: Roman Empire; Italy or Eastern Mediterranean.
DATE: First half of the 1st Century CE
DIMENSIONS: 10.2 cm (4 in.) tall

DESCRIPTION: Roman unguentarium of amber-yellow glass with opaque milk-white trailing that has been marvered flush with the vessel’s surface. The vessel’s body is spherical with a slightly concave flattened base without a pontil mark, a tubular neck tapering towards the top, and a rim that folds outward and has been rounded and thickened at the edge. From the base to the rim runs a white spiral trail that makes multiple revolutions and has been dragged up and down six or seven times to create a broad festoon pattern. The vessel has been expertly reassembled from a few large fragments; very stable and otherwise intact.

PROVENANCE: Formerly in a Welsh private collection formed between the 1970s and 2008.

PUBLISHED: Bonhams, London, ANTIQUITIES, 29 April, 2009, Lot #302, listed and illustrated on Page 174.

SPECIAL NOTES: Most early Roman blown glass vessels, such as this example, have pear shaped bodies and continue to use the strong color contrasts of earlier core formed glass. As blown glass became more common and cheaper these strong colors were replaced by simple clear glass, of which many examples are available on our website.

COMPARISONS: E. Marianne Stern, Roman, Byzantine and Early Medieval Glass, 10 BCE-700 CE, Ernesto Wolf Collection, 2001, Cat. Numbers 2, 3 & 4 for closely related examples. Also, Yael Israeli, Wonders of Ancient Glass at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1998, page 26 for several related examples.

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i84.html

Holiday Gift Giving Preview

With the holiday season approaching, it’s time to begin thinking about appropriate gifts. Clio Ancient Art and Antiquities offers a wide selection of genuinely unique items, in every price range, for the art collector, history enthusiast or other difficult to shop for recipient on your list. 

Many genuine, fine quality items may be had for less than $100, as well as far more expensive antiquities for the discerning collector. Of course, we will be adding more fine items to our stock as the holidays approach but this is just a sample of some popular, less expensive holiday gift items. Enjoy.

 

 

Egyptian Faience Bead Necklace, 300 BC-200 AD, $255

 

 

 

 

 

 http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i289.html

Early Roman Bronze Brooch, $92.50

 

 

 http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i459.html

Postumus, British Usurper Emperor AD 260-269. Silver Antoninianus, $42.50

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i448.html 

Roman Glass Pendant Beads, 4th-5th Century, $87.50

 http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i36.html

Roman Provincial Coin, Orichalcum 5 Assarion of Gordion III

AD 238-244

http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i426.html 

Roman Empire, Bronze AE3 of Constantius II, AD 337-361, $28.50

 http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i455.html

Byzantine Pottery Oil Lamp, Holy Land, 6^th Century AD. $155.00

 http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i404.html

Byzantine Openwork Cross and Pelta Buckle, 7th Century, $157.50  

 http://www.clioancientart.com/catalog/i188.html