Much of the art market seems opaque and confusing, not least when it comes to antiquities. This field has had its fair share of scandals, ranging from forgeries to illicit looting and trafficking, and sometimes a combination of all of those misdeeds. In 2023, an antiquities expert claimed that a good percentage of a group of looted archaeological artefacts repatriated to Italy from the US (and valued at more than $20mn) were, following a trafficking investigation, knock-offs.
At the same time, fashionable collecting categories such as contemporary art and modern design have relegated the reputation of antiquities to something of an old person’s academic hobby. Contemporary and modern works offer immediate visual impact — much more Instagram-friendly — without the need for too much reading, while new money has long favoured the art of its time, as a reflection of its own preoccupations.
This year’s Tefaf art and antiques fair in Maastricht includes eight antiquities galleries (a small percentage of the fair’s 273 exhibitors): specialists who are passionate about winning people over to their niche. They share some refreshing reminders about the realities of the market — plus some pleasant surprises — for the would-be collector.
Think beyond statues with broken noses
If Greek and Roman marbles aren’t your thing, that doesn’t mean that you don’t like antiquities. The Tefaf section for antiquities dealers is in fact called “Ancient Art”, something most of its exhibitors also subscribe to. This is partly to avoid some of the negative associations (think “antiquities trafficking”, “looted antiquities”) as well as to reflect that “it’s a small market but covers thousands of years and numerous cultures so is the broadest niche of all,” says the London dealer Rupert Wace.
The geographic reach extends, of course, to ancient Egypt, including a rather fetching bronze falcon, a representation of the sun god Horus dating to the 7th century BC, at Plektron Fine Arts. Reaching beyond, in time and place, Wace has a 19th-century sub-Saharan Kota reliquary, a metal-crafted, humanoid guardian figure to honour the dead, while Galerie Kevorkian has beautifully sinuous bronzes from Luristan, Iron Age Iran (first millennium BC).
Unlike in other fields, antiquities don’t need to be complete. “It is often better to acquire a fragment of the highest artistic merit than a fully intact but less exceptional piece,” says the Basel dealer Jean-David Cahn. Buyers might also be enticed by the growing market for wearable ancient jewellery. Kallos has a Roman gold and emerald necklace and pair of earrings that prove boho-chic is nothing new.
Brush up on the law — and ethics
Antiquities are treasured partly because of their long history, but this is also their own Achilles’ heel. Provenance — where an object has come from and its proof of ownership — is vital, but often very difficult to establish. The trade is heavily and increasingly regulated but absolute oversight is impossible, particularly in the digital age — witness the recent appearance on eBay of some of the hundreds of objects that were stolen from the British Museum.
The most important ethical guideline is that items should only be bought if the buyer is certain that they have not been illegally excavated or illegally exported since 1970, the date of the signing of the international Unesco convention on cultural property.
There are, of course, complexities around establishing such certainties (remember, documentation can be forged too). Plus, as ever, there are grey areas. For individual collectors, dealers characterise the 1970 guideline as a rule of thumb rather than a rule. As Martin Clist at London’s Charles Ede puts it, “the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”. Nevertheless, an ill-informed buyer could end up with an item that can’t be resold, so make sure to have the right questions to hand and don’t be afraid to ask to see any relevant paperwork.
Find a trustworthy dealer
They would say that, wouldn’t they? But in this instance, it is sound advice, particularly for a starter collector. A reputable dealer will have done a lot of heavy lifting. “Even we can’t do it all ourselves,” says the Roman arts specialist Ollivier Chenel. “We reach out to scholars and other researchers to chase down sources and provenance.”
But how to know a dealer is reputable? The main trade bodies are the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA) and the Antiquities Dealers’ Association (ADA), while some individual regions have their own professional organisations, such as the British Antique Dealers’ Association and the Syndicat National des Antiquaires.
Major-league art fairs are also responsible for the exhibitors they accept and often have stringent vetting requirements. This is the case at Tefaf while other respected fairs include Frieze Masters in London and the Brafa Art Fair in Brussels.
Most dealers now have up-to-date websites and publish thorough catalogues, often to coincide with the big art fairs. They are also very open to conversation. “Do not be afraid of saying the wrong thing or making mistakes,” Clist says “Dealers come across this all the time and (largely!) don’t judge the person accordingly. A good relationship will last all one’s collecting life.”
Don’t spend too much
“Ancient art is fundamentally undervalued relative to other areas in the art market,” says Salomon Aaron at London’s David Aaron. Certainly when compared to modern art, where a prized work can run into the millions, antiquities provide a very pleasant surprise and it is very possible to find a good buy for less than £10,000. At Tefaf, Charles Ede has a stylish Greek black-glazed and ribbed terracotta jug (c4th-century BC) priced at €7,000 while Rupert Wace’s aforementioned gold and emerald necklace is €9,800.
Conservation and care are also relatively inexpensive, certainly when compared to, say, dealing with leaked formaldehyde in a contemporary work. “Our objects have lasted thousands of years already,” says the Paris dealer Corinne Kevorkian.
Touch the past
Classical myths and legends, often learned in childhood, have enduring appeal. “The stories of gods, heroes, poets, generals and emperors conveyed in these objects are matched by the stories of everyday men and women, from slaves to the aristocracy,” says Madeleine Perridge, director of Kallos Gallery in London. “These really stick for many of us who then go on to a lifetime of loving ancient history.”
Unlike most art, antiquities are meant to be interactive. “Anyone who is thinking of collecting ancient art already feels that thrill of another world, of being able to touch and live with these pieces,” Perridge says. Wace finds that “a very important part of the fun is to be able to hold the objects and create an immediate connection with the past”.
Clist gets seriously romantic: “In a world of superficiality, there is something deeply profound about owning a simple terracotta lamp bought for a few hundred pounds, or a fragment of sculpture dating back thousands of years . . . The millennia disappear, and one can ponder what of the ancient world differs from ours and what remains the same. It shows us what we are as human beings.”
March 15-20, tefaf.com
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