Sadigh Gallery

The modern world has always been fascinated with art from the cultures of ancient societies and cultures, from Greece and Rome to Mesopotamia and China. Art from these places and people are of great historical value, mostly found in museums, and often fetch high prices among collectors. Image source: ancientartpodcast.org Some drawings and paintings are carved in the walls of caves, what most scholars call prehistoric art. Evidenced by unearthed and discovered art of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Age, mankind has always been trying to replicate beauty and make sense of the world. The earliest Paleolithic art, for example, is epitomized in the Bhimbetka Petroglyphs, which have been found in the Auditorium cave in Central India. These date back to at least 290,000 BCE. Mesolithic and Neolithic art likewise refer to ancient art produced in the Stone Age. With the onset of the Bronze era, the best examples of ancient art are in the work found in the Mediterranean, the so...

The ancient Babylonians were an Akkadian-speaking people who lived in southern Mesopotamia around 1894 B.C. Babylon started as a small town during the age of the Akkadian Empire. It then expanded further under Hammurabi and rose to power. Babylonia was “the country of Akkad” and prospered with Hammurabi as its leader. Assyro-Babylonian culture thrived from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age and was characterized by the ethnic, linguistic, and cultural connection between Assyria and Babylonia.              Image source: pinterest.com A big part of the Babylonian culture was its arts and crafts. Due to the huge amount of clay at their disposal (and lack of stone), ancient Babylonians used mudbricks to build. Babylonian, Sumerian, and Assyrian temples built at the time were made primarily of crude bricks. The buttresses were necessary for support and drains for leading away water that could damage structures. Much of Babylon...

Ancient glass has a rich albeit intriguing history behind it. There are several ways that one can authenticate ancient glass personally before seeking professional services. Here are some of them: Surface iridescence typically forms in layers and forms skins like an onion. Thus if one tries to dislodge it, it should flake instead of crumble, although there are exceptions to the rule. The colors in the iridescence should flow akin to colors in a petrol spill in a puddle, unless it’s a modern glass covered with portions of genuine ancient iridescence. Image source : AARF.com  The right chemical reactions can pave the way for iridescence to form even in less than 100 years in natural soil conditions, so it’s not a foolproof guarantee of authenticity. But this also means that a piece devoid of iridescence isn’t necessarily fake. Glass can be cleverly restored or repaired, so do this test carefully: run a very hot pin embedded in a heat-proof handle ove...

Coin collecting is a truly fun hobby to get into, especially as you become more and more familiar with different coin types, their respective age, and how limited the production is. However, not all coins are available to the public. The rarest and most valuable ones are often just sold in high-end auctions or kept in museums (finding ones for sale is reason enough to think they might be fakes). Hereunder are some of the most collectible ones that should make the devout numismatist’s mouth water. 1913 Liberty Head nickel What makes this nickel highly sought-after is that it was pressed without the permission of the U.S. mint, which had changed the design to that of a Native American. Only five pieces became available to the market, and the most expensive piece was sold for $3.7 million (and it wasn’t even in mint condition). Image source : ngccoin.com 2007 C$1m coin This massive, 100-kg coin was specially minted by the Royal Canadian Mint. It ...

The industry of coin collecting is huge and dynamic, with an estimated net worth of $5 billion in the United States alone. While many people would like to get their hands onto as many types of coins as they want, some enthusiasts have categorized themselves as a certain type of coin collector to have a great knowledge on which clubs they should be part of and which kinds of coin dealers they should find.  Image source: coinsonline.com Type collectors are the ones who choose to collect one example of every coin, denomination, metal, or design from a certain period. These collectors may decide to collect one of each coin from his or her chosen century.  Error collectors look for coins that have minting errors. They keep an eye on coins that have been struck in parts, those that have not been struck at all, or coins that were clipped during the minting process. Many collectors and dealers focus their attention on coins with minting errors.  Novelt...

Coin collecting takes a lot of time and effort. Connoisseurs know that having connections can make things easy and accessible to trades and exchanges. But looking at the hobby as a mere investment robs the collector of the joy of having owning a set of ancient coins. Wanting to become a coin collector for the right reasons can help one stay the course and become more enthusiastic over time. Image source: money.org Successful coin collectors have long studied the coins in their keep, and are aware of the education required before diving into the industry. Some of them collect as this was a hobby of their families for generations. Most of them have their own specialization and focus on a certain coinage. This directs their path in collecting a definite set. Wanting varying sets of coins could be too much of a folly and might lead to frustration.  Connoisseurship requires tons of patience. One cannot learn about numismatics overnight. Dedicating one’s time a...

Unless you are already connected to an established art gallery that acquires artifacts and antiquities directly from estates and collections, it could be quite difficult to lay your hands on the ancient art that you desire. Here’s a quick step by step to make it happen. Preliminary research Have a good idea of what kind of ancient art you’d like to collect, whether from ancient Greece or perhaps the pre-Columbian worlds, or whether glass, stone, metal, pottery, or another form. Read coffee table books as well as high-quality internet resources. Image source : Pixabay.com Catalog research Refer to auction catalogs to get critical information on what have been available for sale and how much people have paid for them. There are plenty of auction companies that handle ancient art, and with their help you can assess quality of art, item condition, provenance, and related factors. Establish a budget Your budget should be entirely up to you,...