An Egyptian Ivory Handle, Roman Period, Circa 2nd Century A.D.

in the form of the head of a horse, wearing a harness with crosshatched and dotted circle ornament, with bared teeth, almond-shaped eyes with dotted pupils, striated forelock and mane, and ears laid back.

Denys Sutton (1917-1991), London, acquired between 1957 and 1972
by descent to the present owner

Very good and as shown. There are several hairline cracks running along the grain of the ivory, a long shallow chip on the muzzle on the proper right side (visible in catalogue photo), and a tiny chip at the tip of the ear on the other side. The piece is mounted in a small clear plastic stand at the base of the neck which could be difficult to remove--- the edges of this have been removed in the photograph. The ivory is hippopotamus ivory.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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For closely related examples see Ancient Art, The Norbert Schimmel Collection, O.W. Muscarella, ed., Mainz, 1974, no. 234 (Sotheby’s, New York, Antiquities from the Norbert Schimmel Collection, December 16th, 1992, no. 120), and Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, inv. no. E 12.1971 (said to be from Sakkara and dated to the 1st Century A.D). Also see R.H. Ballard, Jr., ed., Masterpieces of Ivory from The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore and New York, 1984, pp. 52-53, no. 54 (Sotheby, Wilkinson, and Hodge, London, Catalogue of the MacGregor Collection of Egyptian Antiquities, June 29th, 1922, no. 678, pl. I).

Denys Miller Sutton (1917-1991) assumed the role of editor of the London-based arts magazine Apollo in 1962, and retained this position for about 25 years, during which he considerably expanded the scope of the publication, addressing sensitive art preservation issues, attracting new contributors among prominent art historians and writers, writing many articles himself, and devoting several issues to the collections of museums around the world. His strong and unrelenting interest in the visual arts was a lifelong pursuit: he served as secretary of the international commission for the restitution of cultural material after World War II, worked as an art critic for Country Life and the Financial Times, authored several books on painting, including works on Watteau, Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Picasso, and Whistler, and organized several exhibitions abroad such as shows on Constable and Titian in Tokyo. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (vol. 53, Oxford, 2003, p. 382) describes him as an "astute collector of art."