Yemen researcher: Rare Sabaean statue to be displayed at int’l auction in Vienna

SANAA, Oct. 24 (YPA) – Yemen’s researcher specializing in tracking smuggled antiquities, Abdullah Mohsen, announced that a rare alabaster statue believed to be the head of a princess from the Kingdom of Saba will be offered for sale at an international auction in Vienna, Austria, on November 21, 2025.

In a Facebook page, Mohsen explained that the statue, which dates back to the first century BC, is one of three Yemeni pieces to be featured in the Antiquities and Ancient Arts auction.

According to auction documents, the piece is owned by Joseph Ozan, owner of the Samarkand Gallery in Paris, and was acquired from a private Swiss collection.

The previous owner provided written confirmation that the piece belonged to his father’s collection, which he acquired before 1971. Samarkand Gallery is known for supplying artworks to major art institutions such as the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Yemen’s researcher explained that the sculpture clearly depicts a woman’s head with a long, straight nose, prominent lips, a pointed chin, large almond-shaped eyes beneath finely sculpted eyebrows, and hair tied back behind the ears. The statue stands 18.5 cm tall and weighs 4 kg.

The display of these sensitive Yemeni antiquities raises serious questions about efforts to combat the smuggling of Yemeni cultural heritage.

AA