The offer for sale of this most remarkable (by any yardstick) Statue represents a rare opportunity indeed for a Museum, or specialist private collector, to acquire an aspect of an ancient and lost civilisation, the nature of which rarely comes to the market.

This Statue is part of a larger collection of similar pieces, this being the second piece being offered for auction. Other pieces may be offered at a later stage depending on the outcome of this auction.

The story of their discovery and subsequent recovery is one born of war, namely the conflict which arose in the Spring and Summer of 1994 between the forces of South and North Yemen, situated in the South-West of the Arabian Peninsula.

The current owner was involved in that conflict and during the flight Eastwards (from Aden) from Northern Forces, came across a relatively small area in the desert which was characterised by a number of what would be described in Western Europe as Barrows, that is pre-historical burial mounds. At the end of the conflict (in which the forces of North Yemen prevailed) and now outside the country, the current owner identified as best as he was able the region of the Desert where he had seen the Barrows.

They were subsequently excavated by a group of South Yemenis', whose tribal area it was, and given as a gift to the vendor. Scholars have inspected them and believe them to be redolent of the Saba (2nd century BC) and Awsan Kings' culture. In short, they are believed to be pre-Islamic.

When Islam came to dominance in Arabia it was decreed that all graven images should be smashed and/or buried, given that it is a fast condition of Islamic law that only Almighty Allah can create the human form. Such an aspect (the burial and destruction of idols) of the arrival of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula is well chronicled and, indeed, well established by pre-Islamic historians.

However, no guarantee whatsoever can be given as to the actual genesis or precise age of this Statue. Indeed, to exercise candour and total transparency, records do exist of local people excavating buried objects some 200 years ago and secretly fashioning a small number of copies, presumably for non-religious purposes. What is not, however, in any doubt whatsoever is the fact that this Statue is of a very considerable age indeed and could well date from the pre-Islamic time.

The artefacts were inspected some thirteen years ago by British experts, including those from the British Museum, who concluded that the actual dating of the artefacts  is uncertain. They did however agree that the artefacts are of a very considerable age and most certainly not modern copies or reproductions.

Consequently, the strongest recommendation is made that any prospective purchaser should make arrangements to examine the artefacts at our premises prior to bidding. In any event, this does represent a unique opportunity and we have every confidence that this will be widely recognised as such.

The Statue measures 10" or 25cm in height. The base measures 2.5" by 1.5" (6.3cm by 4cm) in size. As you can perhaps see in the photos, the Statue has been broken at the neck at some stage. This was professionally repaired some years ago by a repairer from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford who is now retired. 

Any questions, please feel free to email us (sales@letusauctionit.co.uk) or call us on 01793 522204 during office hours. High resolution images can be emailed if required (please state which one).