Apollo Art Auctions, London’s premier choice for rare, expertly vetted antiquities and ancient art, recently unveiled the highlights of its gallery auction scheduled for 10th and 11th June 2024. Various forms of remote bidding will be made available, including live bidding via the LiveAuctioneers online platform. The auction will include exquisite items of cultural art, jewellery and artifacts that have been professionally vetted, with the 702-lot auction broadening the horizon for collectors of ancient armour and arms through the inclusion of post-16th century weaponry.
Reflecting on the upcoming event, Dr Ivan Bonchev explained that Apollo Art Auctions has always included fine examples of militaria in its auctions, which stands to reason, as turning points in history are largely associated with conflicts and wars. Dr Bonchev pointed out that over the last year, Apollo Art Auctions has seen increased interest in militaria, with the leading London auction house deciding it was time to incorporate post-16th century weaponry and expand the category.
As a result, the 10th June session has been enhanced, encompassing a broader selection of armaments and arms, including a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Saxony hussar’s helmet with wings. Crafted somewhere between the 17th and 18th century AD, the piece dates back to the reign of August II the Strong, with its design incorporating a round skull with vertical ridges and a horizontal visor with attached faceguard. Flanked by a pair of fanned, riveted wings with openwork heart shapes, the piece has passed through several important European collections and is now coming up for auction with an estimate of between £4,500 and £9,000.
The 10th June auction will also include masterpieces of ancient Roman precious metalwork, including a double-handed silver ‘skyphos’, a vessel used to serve wine at banquets. This impressive specimen features a beautifully balanced design and motif, exemplifying its owner’s taste for understatement and regal excellence and commanding an estimate of between £4,800 and £9,600.
In January 2024, Apollo Art Auctions staged its Fine Ancient Art and Antiquities auction, incorporating items from The Prince Collection, which was once owned by the renowned Egyptophile and ancient art and antiquities collector Revd William MacGregor, who served as Vicar of Tamworth from 1878 to 1887. Incorporating works of art ranging considerably in date and culture, The Prince Collection covers virtually the entire scope of antiquity, including pieces from the Neolithic, Near Eastern, Hittite, Egyptian and Greco-Roman worlds, with many items having passed through the hands of some of the most renowned antiquities collectors of the 19th and 20th centuries.







