Coming, as they do, from vastly different regions of the ancient world, the 21 artworks presented here have been selected solely for their intrinsic quality and aesthetic impact.  It is interesting to observe that even within a specific geographic area one can find a great variety of artistic styles.  For instance, the three Pre-Columbian antiquities featured in this exhibition range from the baroque exuberance of the polychrome terra-cotta Maya urn (No. 1) to the serene naturalism of the Jalisco Seated Wrestler (No. 7), or the geometric and almost abstract quality of the Aztec Standard Bearer from the Jay Leff Collection (No. 2).  In terms of purity and simplicity of forms, this last sculpture might be compared to the traditional Cycladic marble idols of the 3rd millennium B.C.  (see No. 3 & 20), even though the Aztec statue and the bulk of the Cycladic production were carved about 4000 years apart.  These Cycladic statuettes (some however are much larger) look poignantly contemporary to the modern eye, regardless of the fact that they were originally vividly painted, as indeed were most sculptures in all ancient Mediterranean civilizations.  Be that as it may, the influence of Cycladic Greek art on a good number of the leading European artists active in the earlier years of the 20th century is well attested; and to them we owe much of the present appreciation of these beautiful and singularly enigmatic carvings. 

In contrast to much of Pre-Columbian art, Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern works present a much more uniform artistic language throughout the centuries.  No one would mistake the Gold Apis Bull Statuette (No. 8) or the Seated Osiris Bronze  (No. 14) as anything but Egyptian.  Likewise, the Urartian Bronze Helmet (No. 5) and the Luristan Ewer (No. 6) — both typically Near Eastern in character — share a common visual vocabulary.  This phenomenon of artistic continuity is not always discernible in Greek and Roman antiquities where one often witnesses a clear and swift evolution of styles: from prehistoric to early Greek art, followed by the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic period which in turn leads to the great Roman artistic traditions that spread throughout the ancient Mediterranean world and beyond.

The technical sophistication that distinguishes  most of Hellenistic Greek art is particularly evident in the luxury metalwork of the period, such as the silver-gilt Roundel with a Pouncing Lion (No. 13) or the Dish with a Bust of Dionysos (No. 11) included here.  The Erotic Roman Mosaic (No. 10) depicting the punishment of the pastoral god Pan introduces a diverse cast of colorful and often mischievous Graeco-Roman mythological characters — from demigods of the wild to satyrs and nymphs (see No. 15) — who often amuse us with their humorous adventures.  

If some of the artworks in this exhibition seem like exotic survivals from a markedly remote past  (see for instance the Neolithic marble statuette No. 4), others definitely strike a much more immediate note.  The ancient Greeks invented and perfected the art of psychological portraiture while often strongly idealizing their likenesses, witness the noble marble head of a Ptolemaic Ruler from Hellenistic Egypt (No. 9).  But it was the Romans who mastered the art of veristic portraiture, setting the standard that we observe and emulate to this day.  The two rare and magnificent Augustan Bronze Heads presented here (No. 16) exemplify this tradition at the highest level, as does the seductive marble Portrait Head of a Veiled Woman dating to the later 2nd century A. D. (No. 12). This arresting likeness beckons us with a degree of directness that is impossible to ignore. Such is the lure of the ancient world.