Rare Yemeni bronze statue to be auctioned in “Tel Aviv” in late September

SANAA, Aug. 29 (YPA) – A rare Yemeni bronze bust from the antiquity era will be put up for auction by an Israeli auction house in late September, according to archaeological researcher Abdullah Mohsen, who tracks smuggled antiquities.

Mohsen stated on his Facebook page that the artifact originates from ancient Yemeni civilization and was part of the private collection of the late Israeli antiquities dealer Shlomo Moussaieff (1925–2015). Over his lifetime, Moussaieff amassed more than 60,000 artifacts, including hundreds of smuggled Yemeni treasures—ranging from 6th-century BCE bronze lions from Al-Jawf and a solid gold bull head to bronze statues, alabaster pieces, and cups inscribed with the Ancient South Arabian Musnad script.

According to the researcher, the item scheduled for sale is a bronze bust of an unidentified young figure, featuring calm facial expressions and hair crowned with a botanical wreath, alongside a natural patina and trace erosion indicating its historical authenticity and age.

Mohsen noted that this upcoming sale is part of the ongoing liquidation of the Moussaieff collection, following a previous revelation in August 2025 regarding the auction of another Qatabanian statue from the same collection at an auction house in Vienna, Austria.

YPA