Collecting Antiquities can be an exciting and rewarding way to build an investment and provide an impressive talking point, as well as beautiful shelves. Antiquities can be displayed in contemporary interiors, and sit comfortably alongside natural history specimens and art works.
Philip Hewat-Jaboor's fine collection of antiquities, featured in Roseberys' upcoming sale, sat alongside modern sculpture, Imperial porphyry, Kangxi porcelain and Regency furniture, demonstrating their decorative versatility. Likewise, Michael Barrington’s collection, also featured, was nestled among pre-Raphaelite artworks and Impressionist painting.
Philip Hewat-Jaboor in his library. Credit: Danny Evans for Lux.
As a rule, larger pieces in good condition will sell for the highest prices, while smaller pieces are more likely to survive and are therefore more widely available on the market.
Today's antiquities collectors prioritise provenance, with questions of restitution at the forefront of many people's minds. It is always worth asking a specialist to explain the objects' documentation and history in detail before buying. Collections with museum-quality provenance, such as those of Philip Hewat-Jaboor and Michael Barrington, will command high prices.
Pictured: A collection of antiquities, including an Egyptian granodiorite fragment and a black-figure skyphos
Watch the video above to hear Head of Department Alice Bailey delve into a highlight of the sale, An Attic black-figure skyphos, attributed to the Heron Class, circa 490 B.C.