Own a piece of antiquity

Collectors are often "passionate" and "absolutely fascinated" by the ancient world of Greece, Rome or Egypt and want to own something that they would normally only see through glass cabinets in museums, according to an antiquities expert in London.

"I just think it brings the whole ancient world alive to know that someone has actually used that," says Ms Sarah Hornsby, head of the antiquities department at Christie's. The department covers "anything from Ireland to the Caspian Sea" from before the 10th century AD and collectors can acquire antiquities for as little as £200 sterling (#329).

Antiquities can turn up in the most unlikely places, she says. "It's amazing what people do have in their back drawers."

For instance, scarabs - little amulets from the Egyptian period - or shabtis - small servant figures, often inscribed with the name of the deceased and put into the tomb, to help the dead in the next world - often turn up, she says. "They vary enormously in value, anything from up to £100 to the low thousands of pounds."

Antiquities include "everything from large-scale marbles and sculpture right down to very small scale gold and silver jewellery, textiles, bronzes, glass - absolutely anything you could find in the ancient world".

One of the most striking pieces in a Christie's antiquities auction on April 12th next is an 8th century BC Egyptian sarcophagus, the casket into which a mummy was put. "It's a painted wooden sarcophagus, in the form of a human figure with a face on the front. It has painted hieroglyphs and scenes all over it and inside is a wonderful painted figure of the sky goddess Nut, a buxom woman who is protecting the body inside. (Estimate: £25,000 to £30,000 sterling.)

A rare Roman ring depicts a chariot race with four charioteers with whips held high racing around the Circus Maximus. All the monuments along the wall are shown, including the finishing post, a large obelisk, she says. (Estimate: £3,000 to £5,000).

The auction includes a selection of Coptic textiles, including three complete decorated tunics and a lot of framed fragments from the 4th to the 8th centuries AD.

Noting that every country has strict regulations for antiquities, she says: "The Irish are very protective about their antiquities so it's often difficult for it to be sold elsewhere."

Mr Raghnall O Floinn, assistant keeper of antiquities at the National Museum, points out that while the State pays a reward to the finders, antiquities found automatically become the property of the State.

Antiquities must not be exported or altered without permission of the National Museum and it is not lawful to advertise the sale of Irish antiquities in the Republic.

Auctioneers offering antiquities for sale are obliged to inform the National Museum before the sale and the onus is on the auctioneer to do this:

Ms Sarah Hornsby can be contacted by telephoning: 0044 171 321 3002

The National Museum, Kildare Street, Dublin 2: 01 677 7444.

jmarms@irish-times.ie