Many historians spend a great deal of time researching the Age of Discovery, when European explorers sailed to every corner of the globe in search of new lands, peoples and riches. However, they usually focus on the beginning of the period in the 15th and 16th centuries.
In my opinion though, it is really the end of the Age of Discovery that has more importance for art and antiquities collectors. I loosely define this period as taking place during the early to mid 20th century. It was during this historically crucial time that the last of earth’s wonders, both manmade and natural, were revealed.
Even a mere hundred years ago an amateur explorer could hike through the densest jungles of South America and into a lost city floating in the Andes Mountains. Machu Picchu, abandoned by the Incas for almost 350 years, was only rediscovered by American professor Hiram Bingham in 1911.
Similarly, in the late 1940s nomadic Bedouin shepherds accidentally uncovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in desert caves in the Holy Land. These priceless ancient religious texts contained the oldest extant writings of the Jewish and Christian Bibles known.
The mysterious culture of ancient Egypt also surrendered it last great treasures in the sunset of the Age of Discovery. Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun’s unlooted tomb, found in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter and his benefactor, aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, was almost certainly the greatest archaeological discovery of all time. Forgotten for over 3200 years, it was a miracle that the tomb had remained intact.
A mere 18 years later, in the dark shadow of a brutal global conflict, French professor Pierre Montet uncovered the only other undisturbed Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb, that of Psusennes I, The Silver Pharaoh.
The earth was still grudgingly giving up her secrets to intrepid explorers into the mid 20th century. A U.S. bush pilot operating in Venezuela, Jimmie Angel, first spotted the world’s highest waterfall in 1933 – 3,212 foot (979 meters) tall Angel Falls.
Even Mount Everest, the highest point on earth, only succumbed to ambitious New Zealand mountain climber Edmund Hillary and his rugged Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. However, it is possible that the famed Himalayan peak had actually been conquered decades before by doomed English mountaineer George Mallory in 1924 before claiming his life.
From an exploration standpoint, it had all been done, found or seen shortly after World War II ended. Incidentally, I think this is one of the reasons the swashbuckling Indiana Jones movie franchise so captivated the public. The lead character and story were set in the 1930s, the last time an explorer could plausibly still have any realistic hope of finding truly amazing hidden artifacts or cities. Of course setting the movies against a backdrop of an evil Nazi organization obsessed with diabolical mysticism didn’t hurt either.
The end of the Age of Discovery has significant implications for connoisseurs and investors in fine art, antiquities and antiques. It means that there are likely no more major unknown civilizations waiting to be uncovered. Likewise, there are almost certainly no more intact ancient cities waiting in the mists.
The grandest and most important archaeological finds have assuredly been brought to light already. And, of course, there are no more grand natural mysteries still residing on distant, forgotten corners of the globe. While this might seem sad, it should help us realize that, as collectors, we are working with a relatively fixed pool of artifacts. Invest accordingly.
