Auction introduction: The upcoming Antiquities sale presents a selection of artifacts from ancient cultures in the Mediterranean region, ranging from Ancient Egypt to the fall of the Roman Empire. One of the highlights from the Classical section is an Attic black-figured amphora, attributed to the ‘Group E’, very closely related to the work of the painter Exekias, one of the greatest vase-painters of his time. It vividly depicts Herakles’ Tenth Labor in which the hero confronts the tripled-headed, tripled-bodied monster Geryon. This section will also include an extremely fine Etruscan bronze of a kore, and a selection of Attic and South Italian vases, Greek terracottas and Classical bronzes. The Ancient Egyptian section will be led by an arresting painted wood mummy portrait of a bearded man. Dating to the 2nd century A.D., it is part of a small group of painted portraits of Roman age which survived in the arid climate of Egypt – a rare opportunity to glimpse the skill of ancient painters. Other highlights include a polychrome wood coffin dating to the Middle Kingdom, and a Late Period anthropoid wood coffin adorned with beautifully preserved colourful decoration. Also in the sale is a rare group of Achaemenid gold jewellery, reputedly found in the Hamadan region, from the Maurice Vidal collection.