74 - A LARGE ALABASTER FIGURE OF A PRIEST OF SABA, MIDDLE PERIOD OF ANCIENT SOUTH ARABIA, KINGDOMS OF SABA, MA'IN, QATABAN AND HADRAMAWT, 3RD-1ST CENTURY BC

A LARGE ALABASTER FIGURE OF A PRIEST OF SABA, MIDDLE PERIOD OF ANCIENT SOUTH ARABIA, KINGDOMS OF SABA, MA'IN, QATABAN AND HADRAMAWT, 3RD-1ST CENTURY BC Expert’s note The imposing scale, exceptional quality, and distinctive devotional gesture of the present figure identify it as the representation of a personage of high social standing, most likely a priest from the region of Saba. At 58 cm in height, it would have commanded a powerful presence within the temple sanctuary for which it was conceived. The position of the arms and clenched hands indicates that the figure originally held an object and was represented in the act of making a votive offering. This gesture belongs to a long-established tradition of devotional imagery in ancient Arabia and the Levant during the first millennium BC and is conventionally described as the “Orans” posture, a term derived from Latin orare, “to pray.” Characteristically, the worshipper stands frontally, with the elbows held close to the body and the forearms and hands extended toward the deity. Such votive figures served as enduring substitutes for their donors within the sacred space. Once installed in a sanctuary, the image perpetuated the worshipper’s presence before the deity and maintained his act of devotion beyond the moment of the original offering. In the present figure, this religious function is given unusual visual force by the monumental scale, powerful frontal stance, and intensely animated inlaid eyes. Yemen. Finely carved and meticulously polished, the male figure stands frontally atop a rectangular integral base, his feet placed firmly side by side with individually articulated toes. br /> Provenance - With Asfar & Sarkis, Beirut, 1950s-1960s. - Thereafter in a private collection, Europe and Asia, acquired in the 1980s. - Thereafter on the London art market, 2009. - Thereafter with Ariadne Galleries, New York and London. - Thereafter in a private collection, United States, acquired from the above. - A copy of a certificate issued by Ariadne Galleries, confirming the dating and the above provenance, accompanies this lot. - A copy of the official 1934 antiquities dealer’s license from Asfar & Sarkis accompanies this lot Art Loss Register: ALR Ref. S00099221. A copy of the certification document accompanies the lot. Condition: Superb condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear, natural fissures, losses to the fingers of the right hand, and scattered minor chips throughout. Some deposits surrounding the eye inlays, with weathering to the bitumen and marble and oxidation to the bronze. The proper left hand is reattached, along with a section of the proper left side of the integral base. The alabaster has developed a magnificent warm ivory-toned patina, while much of the original fine polish remains remarkably well preserved. Although both characteristics are known among South Arabian alabaster sculpture, their quality is particularly striking in the present figure. Considering its considerable size, age, and refined carving, the overall state of preservation is outstanding. Particularly remarkable is the survival of the elaborate eye inlays, which retain all three constituent materials—bitumen, bronze, and marble—and contribute substantially to the figure’s powerful expression. Weight: 21.1 kg (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 59 cm (excl. stand), 69 cm (incl. stand) Mounted on an associated stand. (2) Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 8 June 2012, lot 51 Price: USD 56,250 or approx. EUR 71,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A South Arabian alabaster figure of Yahmi-il, circa 2 nd-1 st century BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similar stone and facial expression. Note the much smaller size (32.4 cm). Due to length restriction on Drouot this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.