LONDON, Nov. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apollo Art Auctions is thrilled to present Day 1: Fine Ancient Art & Antiquities - The Prince Collection, taking place on 29 November with live bidding beginning at 1 PM GMT, both in-room and online.
Day One brings together a carefully curated selection of lots, focusing on pieces dating between the 13th century BC and the 20th century AD, with particular emphasis on Byzantine, Medieval, Gandharan, and Chinese art. The carefully curated sale offers a significant selection of jewellery, sculpture, and weaponry.
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Amongst the fine selection, highlights include:
Lot 320A Gandharan relief shows the Buddha enthroned and flanked by attendants, expressing the subtle fusion of Hellenistic, Iranian and Indian traditions that marked the Kushan period. The measured fall of the drapery, the poised symmetry and the serene, compassionate face create a controlled vision of transcendence. Far more than a narrative scene, the panel functioned as an object of focused devotion, its worn surfaces silently recording long use in a sacred setting and the shared piety of generations of worshippers
Lot 409presents the refined conviviality of the Sasanian court. The wheel-cut glass beaker belongs to a culture that has set the standard for luxury during late antiquity. This glassware was traded and imitated from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. Such vessels were more than mere drinking cups; they served as status symbols reflecting access to the courtly worlds of banqueting, diplomacy, and elite exchanges. Glass of this quality rivalled precious metals in desirability, and pieces made in the Sasanian era were treasured for generations.
Lot 10A Silver Gilt Shallow bowl transports us into the sacred and ceremonial realm of Byzantium, featuring a shallow bowl centred with a cross. In the Byzantine world, precious metal plates were used in both imperial representation and church rituals, creating treasuries that showcased the wealth and authority of the Christian empire. A vessel like this would have been part of a liturgical or ecclesiastical context, where silver and gold objects contributed to a visually splendid environment surrounding the altar and the relics of the saints. Most Byzantine vessels such as this were later melted down and reused, making each surviving piece a valuable document of that lost world of ecclesiastical opulence and state patronage.
The first day of the sale also presents a selection of works which embody power, prestige, and cultural dialogue. Lot 326is an impressive Chinese painted terracotta bull, which has been TL tested. This piece evokes the prosperity of the tomb for which it was created and highlights the significant investment of early Chinese elites in extravagant burial displays.
Next is Lot 144, from the battlefield to you, a stunning Viking iron helmet. This remarkable artifact serves as a tangible link to the warrior aristocracy of the North and is an evocative survivor from a culture whose metalwork and martial ethos shaped the medieval imagination.
Finally, Lot 181is the very rare Syro-Fankish glass fragment. With its rich colour palette and refined figural style, this piece represents the encounter between Crusader patrons and Levantine craftsmen, making it a true product of the cosmopolitan eastern Mediterranean. Together, these three pieces set the tone for the auction, uniting rarity, historical significance, and exceptional collecting appeal.
Auction Details:
Apollo Art Auctions
Live Bidding Begins: November 29, 2025 - 1 PM GMT
Location: London (online and in-room)
63-64 Margaret Street, London W1W 8SW 07424 994167?
enquiries@apolloauctions.com
apolloauctions.com
