AN EGYPTIAN PREDYNASTIC PAINTED POTTERY JAR

These lots have been imported from outside the EU … Read more

The Elsa Bloch-Diener (1922-2012) Collection Lots 1-84It was a Swiss Jugendstil walnut cabinet in her parents’ home in Bern that first sparked Elsa’s fascination with antiques at a very early age. What started as a passion shared with her husband, quickly became a hobby which slowly expanded in new directions, including Swiss ceramics and Russian icons. Her encounter with ancient art, however, happened almost by chance, starting with Greek and Etruscan vases which were at the time ‘much older and cheaper than an 18th century Langnauer plate’.With no prior formal education in ancient art, Elsa started attending archaeology lectures and seminars at Bern University where, thanks to her genuine passion, she met various academics and experts, many of which then became life-long friends. In particular the Egyptologist Hellmut Brunner and his wife Emma Brunner-Traut, former colleagues of the famous German archaeologist Hermann Jucker, who accompanied Elsa and her husband during their first trip to Egypt. For several years she also entertained regular correspondence with Egyptologist Maya Müller at the University of Basel and Prof. H. Jucker in Bern.In 1965 Elsa opened her gallery on Gerechtigkeitsgasse in the old town centre of Bern. From self-taught enthusiast she quickly became a well-respected dealer, often travelling to London and New York to participate in the main antiquities auctions. As any avid and discerning collector she kept several pieces for her personal enjoyment and loaned the best to museums. Her long career ended in 1999, when she decided to close the gallery.Elsa passed away in 2012, her parents’ Jugendstil walnut cabinet still standing proud in her bedroom. The wide breadth of her interests and knowledge is reflected in her collection, which includes works of art from ancient Greece and Rome, Etruria and Egypt. Undisputed highlights are the monumental granite head of Sekhmet from the temple of Mut at Thebes (lot 6) and the beautifully carved Roman marble torso of Polykleitos’ ‘Dresden Youth’ (lot 75). Also of particular interest is an Etruscan bronze mirror of exceptional quality depicting the myth of Telephos (lot 64).

AN EGYPTIAN PREDYNASTIC PAINTED POTTERY JAR

NAQADA II-III, CIRCA 3200 B.C.

Details

AN EGYPTIAN PREDYNASTIC PAINTED POTTERY JAR
NAQADA II-III, CIRCA 3200 B.C.
4 ¾ in. (12 cm.) high

Provenance

Elsa Bloch-Diener collection, Bern, acquired 1970.

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Brought to you by

Beatrice Campi

bcampi@christies.com +44 (0)20 3219 6159

Lot Essay

PUBLISHED:
H. Schlögl, Geschenk des Nils. Ägyptische Kunstwerke aus Schweizer Besitz, Basel, 1978, p. 20, no. 17.

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