Ptolemaic Period Basalt Bust sold way above pre-acution price ($1,082,500)
Posted on Jun 6 - Filed Under Antiquities | Comments

This 305-30 B.C (ptolemaic period) basalt bust of a queen or goddess had a pre-auction estimate of $40,000-$60,000 and was sold yesterday in New York way over that range. The hammer price with buyer’s premium was $1,082,500
From the lot’s description:
“Wearing a pleated and fringed garment leaving her right shoulder bare, long tripartite wig of echeloned triangular curls falling to the top of the rectangular back pillar, and fragmentary uraeus, a hole on top of the head for insertion of the missing crown, her idealized youthful face with recessed almond-shaped eyes and long cosmetic lines.”
Read more on Sotheby’s lot details page

