Antiquities from the Mougins Museum of Classical Art

A Collecting Odyssey: Antiquities from the Mougins Museum of Classical Art marks the penultimate chapter in the sale series featuring the private collection of Christian Levett.

This auction showcases a selection of the best ancient works of art in the collection, from the refined bronze figures of divinities from ancient Egypt to the arresting portraits of rulers of the Roman empire. The classical section includes an important selection of Roman marble sculpture such as an over life-sized head of Minerva wearing the Attic helmet, from the collection of French antiquarian Anne Claude Comte de Caylus (1692–1765), an imposing limestone figure of Antinous, the young favourite of Emperor Hadrian, in the guise of a hunter, and a janiform herm of monumental scale from Beth Shean, depicting the god of revelry Dionysus and his spouse Ariadne, collected by British author and politician Somerset Struben de Chair (1911–1995) while stationed in Israel during the World War II.

Other highlights include an elegant and finely cast Egyptian bronze seated cat, adorned with jewellery and protective symbols, a large and elaborate Etruscan funerary gold wreath of laurel leaves, first documented on the art market in 1959, and a Roman agate cameo carved with a resting Molossian hound, once part of the celebrated collection of gems and cameos of George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough (1738–1817).

A Collecting Odyssey concludes with Works of Art from the Mougins Museum of Classical Art, presented as an online auction, open for bidding from 26 November to 10 December.

Browse the auction catalogue online.