Christie’s upcoming Antiquities auction on 3 December 2025 will feature a diverse selection of objects from across the Mediterranean world, including works from ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Near Eastern cultures, dating from the 4th millennium BC to the 7th century AD.
Among the highlights is an impressive Thracian gold mask, demonstrating the exceptional goldsmithing skills of the Thracians, a semi-nomadic people of south-eastern Europe whose territory extended from the Aegean to the Black Sea in the late first millennium BC. Also featured is an exquisite Egyptian faience statuette of Isis and Horus from the Ptolemaic period, with a distinguished provenance from the renowned collector Comtesse Martine de Béhague (1870–1939).
The Classical section of the sale includes a wide selection of Attic and South Italian vases, many from an esteemed international private collection, offering a variety of shapes and motifs for both established and newer collectors. The collection is led by an Attic black-figured pseudo-Panathenaic amphora from the late sixth century BC. It is decorated with boxers mid-combat on one side and a striding Athena on the other, and was most likely used as a commemorative souvenir for a competitor at the Panathenaic Games in ancient Athens.
Other highlights include a Roman marble torso of Venus of the Knidia type, based on an original by the Greek master Praxiteles around 350 BC, and a striking Greek marble torso of a female figure in the so-called ‘wet-drapery’ style. Both sculptures come from a distinguished European private collection.
Notice for buyers wishing to import certain lots into the EU: Certain lots in this sale may be impacted by the new licensing requirements and regulations relating to the import of ‘cultural goods’ into the EU (Regulation (EU) 2019/880 and its Implementing Regulation 2021/1079). Clients are advised to check before bidding whether the lot they wish to bid on is subject to these regulations. Please contact Eleonora Pontiggia (EPontiggia@christies.com) and see H2 of our Conditions of Sale for more information.
