{"title":"3.26 Ancient Treasures","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"pre-columbian-honduran-marble-bowl","title":"Pre-Columbian Honduran Marble Bowl","description":"This exceptionally rare Ulúa marble bowl displays the lustrous white glow of the stone vessels that are native to the Ulúa river valley region of Honduras. With its alluring fluid flow of relief carvings around the entirety of its form, it exemplifies the remarkable ability of the ancient craftsmen. Ulúa artisans used simple stone tools to create magnificent marble bowls such as this one, and their work is highly valued for its intricacy and almost translucent quality.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nMarble bowls represent a fascinating feat of both skill and artistry. Delicate carving of intricate intricate scrollwork and elaborate cosmological designs, they represent a long tradition of Mesoamerican lapidary art. The scrollwork on this vessel almost certainly depicts the rain deity of the region, Chac. Other marble vessels show representations of the wind and sun deities - these depictions were closely linked with the local agriculture, and such bowls likely would once have been used by ancient priests and nobility to petition the mercy of deities. They have also been found in royal tombs, suggesting they were used for offerings to one's ancestors.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe people of the Ulúa valley were the only known people in the New World to create such marble pieces, as the stone was delicate and difficult to work with only rudimentary early tools. A unique vessel such as this one would have been highly prized locally and traded as an exotic import.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nAltogether less than 200 of these marble vessels are known to still exist today. So few have been found that it has been suggested they were possibly manufactured by a single artist and his family within a couple of generations. Today, these vessels are highly valued and are among the most sought-after items from the Pre-Columbian period. Only a handful exist outside of museums and very few become available for acquisition.\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n800-1000 AD\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n3 1\/4\" high x 4\" diameter","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42100094468231,"sku":"29-9700","price":44500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/29-9700_1_44e412ee-69f9-4540-a32f-d1d093555d48.png?v=1736064116"},{"product_id":"oriented-nose-cone-chondrite-meteorite","title":"Oriented Nose Cone Chondrite Meteorite","description":"This oriented Chondrite meteorite, found in the Sahara Desert in North West Africa, is a stony (non-metallic) meteorite. This extraterrestrial wonder is known as a nose cone meteorite, which means that it oriented itself in a perfectly balanced trajectory as it fell through earth's atmosphere and developed a smooth surface resembling a nose. As a result, this specimen also exhibits “creeping,” or molten material streaming away from the cone. As phenomenal in composition as it is in appearance, this meteorite is comprised of the dust and grains of primitive asteroids found all over the solar system, including crystals of olivine, nickel, and feldspar. These particles are accreted, or pulled to the meteor's growing mass by gravitation. They frequently include rounded mineral particles known as chondrules, which can be seen in cross-sections of these amazing otherworldly treasures. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n5 18\" wide x 5 1\/4\" deep x 5\" high\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It is estimated that between 85.7% and 86.2% of all meteorites discovered on earth have been chondrites, and many are discovered in the Sahara Desert as the desert's elevated temperatures perfectly preserve these specimens. Though plentiful on the planet, they are extremely important to the study of the origins and age of the Solar System, and indeed, the origins of life.","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41239112220807,"sku":"30-1863","price":24850.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/30-1863_1_3b6f5955-8522-4060-832e-e6205555cc2c.png?v=1712737918"},{"product_id":"ancient-roman-stele-relief-fragment","title":"Ancient Roman Stele Relief Fragment","description":"Ancient Roman Stele Relief Fragment\u003cbr\u003e Circa 1st Century BCE–1st Century CE \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This rare marble stele relief fragment is a remarkable artifact of ancient history. Dating to the 1st century BCE–1st century CE, it offers a direct connection to the grandeur of Ancient Rome. Carved in fine white marble, possibly of Greek origin, this fragment exemplifies the Roman refinement of Classical Greek ideals. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A stele is a carved stone slab used in antiquity, typically as a commemorative monument, often decorated with relief figures or inscriptions. The quality and refined execution of this example suggest that it once belonged to an individual of considerable social standing. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The female figure is shown mid-motion, with her right hand gracefully crossing the body to her left shoulder, suggestive of adjusting or clasping a himation cloak. Her left arm extends downward, grasping the drapery in a composed gesture. The stele fragment retains the full expressive power of Roman classicism seen in the fluid contrapposto stance and elegant drapery lines that emphasize movement and femininity. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A statue in a similar pose, \u003cem\u003eThe Small Herculaneum Woman\u003c\/em\u003e, housed in the Skulpturensammlung of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Dresden, Germany, dates to the 1st century BCE. Unearthed in 1711 at the ancient city of Herculaneum, it represents one of the earliest significant discoveries at the site. Similar stylistic choices can also be found in a pentelic marble stele from the Archaeological Museum in Elefsina. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On stand: 37 1\/2 high x 23 1\/2\" wide x 12\" deep \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e Private collection, New York\u003cbr\u003e M.S. Rau, New Orleans","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43894037905543,"sku":"32-1243","price":74500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/32-1243_1.png?v=1772377015"}],"url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/collections\/3-26-ancient-treasures.oembed","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}