Collecting Guide

Do not buy anything before acquiring some knowledge and making an eye. I made many mistakes when I started my collection and I still make some! To assemble a good collection you must know what you are looking for and buying. This requires:

– A good English practice: most books on Egyptian antiquities and/or amulets are in English, see the Generalities section.

– Some basic knowledge in mineralogy to identify stone amulets, in physics to measure specific gravity of stones and minerals, in zoology to characterize animal species and in botanics is very helpful.

– Regularly visiting:

a) Museums. There are amulets in every Egyptian archeological section

b) Exhibitions on ancient Egypt, which are frequent worldwide

c) Dedicated websites, for example:

https://collections.ucl.ac.uk/search/simple

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection

https://collections.louvre.fr

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection

https://www.mfa.org/collections

d) Websites of specialized dealers:

– For any specialized dealer who you do not know make a Google search as fakes + ‘the gallery name’. You will soon realize that many galleries, sometimes with hundreds of positive feedbacks, are crooks advertised worldwide. The most dangerous ones are mixing genuine artefacts with modern copies, mostly, but not restricted to, in semiprecious stones and faience weekly sold for example on Catawiki. This should avoid you many disappointements and plenty of difficulties to be refunded if that is the case. Note also that these crooks may operate under different names of galleries and/or from different locations.

– Visit the shops of serious dealers whenever possible (see dealers section). It is highly instructive to manipulate genuine amulets.

– Last, but not least be aware that pictures can be easily manipulated. I have been fooled twice by deliberately altered pictures. I made claims and was fully refunded.

e) Register to https://groups.io/g/AncientArtifacts/

Certificates of Authenticity and Provenance

  1. Note that ANY certificate of authencity (COA) MUST provide one or several pictures of the artefact.
  2. Any serious seller offers a life-time warranty.
  3. Provenance is a big deal:
  • Nowadays Museums do not buy any artefact without a strong provenance certificate. Most major Museums were asked to return to Egypt stolen or looted artefacts.
  • Similarly, serious salerooms ask for a provenance certificate of any artefact. Therefore, keep a detailed record of all your buys, so that you may resell any artefact easily.
  • Many fake amulets are sold with falsified provenance. This includes: undocumented statements (for example ‘previously in an old collection of the 70’s’ without any invoice provided), fake old labels of known dealers/collectors and/or fake old style wooden stands. See https://www.collector-antiquities.com/real-or-fake/fake-egyptian/fake-faience-amulets/

Remarks on COAs and authenticity

About 70% of COAs in my possession are wrong for the representation, the period and/or the material used. This is, however, acceptable. Dealers of antiquities are handling hundreds of artefacts of various cultures and civilizations in stone, pottery, faience, wood, glass, precious or semiprecious stones, metals, etc). They cannot spend days to precisely identify an amulet for sale at US$50-500.

I bought in 2009 an expensive (about US$3,000) Egyptian faience artifact at the Hôtel des Ventes de Genève (Switzerland). When I got it, I immediately realized that it was a modern copy, and made a claim. However, I was told: «Sir, we are very sorry, but sales are final».

This statement is made more or less explicitly by any saleroom (see conditions of sale). At least in France and in Switzerland (but probably elsewhere) this statement is strictly illegal. A Curator of a major museum very kindly helped me to prove that the saleroom sold me a forgery within a sale of archaeology (this was the point).

After 6 months of struggling correspondence and with the help of the Paris Swiss Embassy I did obtain to be fully refunded. However, I had to sign a document indicating that I will never bid again at the Hôtel des Ventes de Genève! Of course this is also strictly illegal and has no sense as anybody can bid for me.

What to buy on line or elsewhere

It took me many years to realize that it is more valuable to buy fragments of exceptional amulets or damaged rare ones rather than to buy poor intact examples. Do not do the same stupid error!

Last but not least, buying high quality amulets is an excellent investment

1. However, be very discriminant and for example do not buy rings with the cartouche of king Tutankhamun, which are overpriced. You are buying a marketing product, they were made in huge amounts. Instead try to find out an undocumented ring like this one with god Heh

2. The value of antiquities regularly increases by an average 6-8 % a year (3.6% for the CAC40, index of Paris stock exchange). Nowadays I can not afford buying amulets that I got for a dozen or a few hundred €, £ or $ before 2010.

3. Finally, it is much more rewarding and enjoyable to contemplate everyday a nice collection rather than looking at variations of stock exchanges.

Where to buy on line

AS A RULE AND FOR ANY WEBSITE CHECK ALL EGYPTIAN ARTEFACTS FOR SALE BY A GIVEN DEALER. Very often an amulet may look fine. It is much easier to detect fakes for sale by a peculiar dealer within all his other
advertisements. If so, there is a very high probability that most if not all artefacts of the seller are forgeries and do not buy.

eBay: Avoid if unexperienced. 98 % of ‘Egyptian antiquities’ are fakes, including everything sent from Egypt. The Egyptian government has banned any exportation of antiquities since decades. Note that some trustable and serious galleries sell also on eBay.

Catawiki: Sells Egyptian amulets every week, including many fakes.In addition, I personally did experience that Catawiki: deleted my negative feedback for a seller of fakes instead of banning him, and cancelled a running sale on which there were many bids, including mine.These are totally unfair if not illegal practices. My claims were never answered.

Trocadero: https://www.trocadero.com/directory/Antiques/Regional-Art/Ancient-World/Egyptian has a trustable section with very few fakes.

General salerooms like LiveAuctioneers: Trustable saleroom, which cancelled immediately one of my buys after a claim for buying a fake.However, I am not hypocrit. I bought amulets from Catawiki or untrustable salerooms. I knew what I was buying, but was not properly advertised with wrong descriptions and crazy expertises, in particular from the so called ‘experts’ of Catawiki or TimeLine Auctions.

Recommended low cost dealers

I personally recommend these reliable sellers, listed by alphabetical order:

1. Ancient & Oriental (UK) https://antiquities.co.uk/ owned by Christopher J. Martin offers nice amulets at reasonable prices.

2. Ancient Resource (USA)http://www.ancientresource.com/lots/egyptian.html
owned by Gabriel Vandervort, regularly organizes web sales.

3. Antiquitiesonline (UK) https://www.antiquitiesonline.co.uk/ This gallery owned by Guy Rothwell frequently offers interesting amulets.

4. Collector antiquities (UK) https://www.collector-antiquities.com/shop/gallery.html The gallery owned by Dr. Bron Lipkin has a dedicated section on fakes on his website.

5. Hassam Zurqieh (Dubai) https://www.acropolo.com/ancient-egypt#/noFilterApplied This coin seller has a huge section of Egyptian amulets on acropolo.com

6. Helios Gallery (UK) https://heliosgallery.com/antiquities/ owned by Rolf von Kiaer and Samantha Neal offers interesting amulets.

7. St James’s Ancient Art https://www.ancient-art.co.uk/egyptian/ also owned by Christopher J. Martin, London.

8. Timesancient.com (UK) https://www.timesancient.com A very nice gallery with affordable amulets owned by Alex Szolin.

Specialized Salerooms: Christie’s, Bonhams, etc.

Fakes are usually withdrawn, with at least the exception of TimeLine Auctions (see the multiple complaints for selling fakes). Be aware that any nice amulet with no reserve price is suspicious. Either the seller, the Saleroom or both are stupid.

Specialized galleries

There are plenty of such galleries worldwide, which are affiliated with more or less serious professional societies. Accordingly, most do not sell fakes.

I do not resist to let you know the following anecdote: I told a Londonian dealer of antiquities that I contacted a couple of times his/her colleagues to let them know with precise references that they were advertising fakes (everybody can accidentaly make a mistake). The controversial artefacts were immediately withdrawn, which was fine and appropriate. However my interlocutor told me «You should mind your own business». A very professional attitude indeed!

Coming back to serious dealers listed by alphabetical order:

Adriane Galleries (Torkom Demirjian, James Demirjian and Gregory Demirjian, London, New York)
http://www.ariadnegalleries.com/

Alexander Ancient Art (Dr. Alexander Biesbroek, Voorschoten, The Netherlands)
https://www.alexanderancientart.com/e-amulets.php

Ancient Art & Ancient coins (Mieke Zielverberg, Amsterdam)
https://miekezilverberg.com/objects/antiquities/egypt/

Antiquarium, Ltd (Robin F. Beningson & Joseph A. Coplin, New York)
https://www.antiquariumancientart.com/egyptian/5685

Arte Primitivo (Howard S. Rose Gallery, New York) organizes regularly web sales
https://www.arteprimitivo.com/

Galeria F. Cervera (Félix Cervera, Barcelona)
https://www.galeriafcervera.com

Galerie Cybèle (Jean-Pierre Montesino, Paris)
https://galeriecybele.com/?page_id=9

Harmakhis (Jacques Billen, Brussels)
https://www.harmakhis.be/fr/oeuvres-d-art/egypte-ancienne

Hixenbaugh Ancient Art (Randall A. Hixenbaugh, New York)
https://www.hixenbaugh.net/gallery/gallery.cfm?category=Egyptian%20Art&subcategory=Amulets

Medusa Ancient Art (Allan J. Anawati, Montréal)
https://medusa-art.com/antiquities-gallery.html/?civilization=1

Phoenix Ancient Art (Ali & Hicham Aboutaam, Genève, New York)
https://phoenixancientart.com/work-of-art/?_sfm_cultures_0_culture=Egyptian&_sfm_types_0_type=Amulets

The Barakat Gallery (Fayez Barakat, London, Los Angeles, Seoul, Hong Kong) https://store.barakatgallery.com/product-category/antiquity/egyptian/

Ethical problems with collecting antiquities

  • Generic Problems : Any artefact to be sold with an undocumented record of excavation contributes to a loss of knowledge
  • Concerning Egyptian amulets: This problem exists but is less acute since amulets were produced by millions

The position and the number of replicates were codified
«Les Portes du Ciel» exhibition Musée du Louvre

Petrie recorded the position of multiple amulets on several mummies in his book published in 1914

Post-face and fakes

You are welcome to contact me through this blog:
I will be very pleased (i) to try to answer queries and (ii) to correct any error and/or misinterpretation. Finally, I am keeping three or four masterpiece fakes in my collection.

They are much better than any standard and expensive museum reproduction. Only one is an amulet, see next two pictures.

A French expert (Generalities, Ref #39 p. 247) was told this wise advertisement, which I am translating: «If you are coming across a fake masterpiece, do not destroy it. There are indeed very few masterpieces.» However, (i) you MUST be told that you are buying a fake and (ii) PAY FOR IT ACCORDINGLY

Example of sophisticated fake amulet

I bought this splendid trichrome faience amulet (H 5.2), which has no stylistic error and a convincing patina, but no parallel. The amulet possibly intended to represent Mehet Weret, an obscure goddess mainly known by a bed of Tutankhamun. However, I was dubious. I asked Ralf Kotalla, a worldwide expert, to perform a thermoluminescence analysis of the amulet (€300)

My doubts were founded, this is a modern fake!
Hopefully, the seller, Hassam Zurquieh: not only did not ask for a return but provided me for free with another amulet of a similar price. Therefore, I deeply thank Hassam for his perfect honesty and highly professional attitude!