Bronze bust from Yemen to be auctioned in Tel Aviv

A stolen artifact from Yemen is set to appear on the auction market in Israel, after Abdullah Mohsen, a researcher specializing in tracking smuggled Yemeni antiquities, revealed that a bronze bust will be offered for sale at an auction in Tel Aviv in late September. The piece was previously part of the private collection of businessman and jeweler Shlomo Moussaieff.

Moussaieff was known for amassing a large collection of antiquities during his lifetime, including several items attributed to ancient Yemeni civilizations. Born in Jerusalem in 1925, Moussaieff moved to the UK in 1963 and passed away in 2015.

His collection of Yemeni artifacts includes four bronze lions from Al-Jawf dating to the 6th century BCE, a gold bull's head, a bronze statue of a horse with a sword-bearing rider, and a bronze cup inscribed with three lines in the ancient Musnad script.

Other items in the collection feature a bronze plaque depicting two young men's faces with the word "ShYM" below, a statue of the daughter of Qataban's king "Yada' Ab Gilaan," a bull's head mounted on a rectangular alabaster plaque inscribed with "Ma'mar Kalban bin Sanham," as well as a bronze sphinx and a bronze jug with four lines of Musnad script.

The piece set for auction in Tel Aviv depicts a young man with calm features, though the identity of the figure remains undetermined, according to Mohsen, who detailed the artifact in a Facebook post.

The bust is characterized by an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and a small mouth. The hair is encircled by a headdress or wreath adorned with plant motifs and elements resembling fruit clusters, along with twisted decorations across the forehead.

Wavy hair strands fall around the temples, while one shoulder features a decorative element likely linked to a garment or a knotted strap, with a diagonal band crossing the chest. The surface shows a patina of green and reddish-brown hues, as well as signs of erosion and deposits.

Mohsen believes the artistic details, particularly the facial features, hair styling, and decorations, give the piece significant artistic and archaeological value, even though the figure's identity has not been confirmed.

This is not the only Yemeni artifact from Moussaieff's collection to surface in the art market. Previously, a bronze bust of "Amamim Yahamman Watar" from the first century CE, inscribed with two lines in Musnad script, was offered by Christoph Bacher Ancient Art in Vienna.