The vessel with integral round-section upward-facing handles, a third, round-section handle placed vertically between shoulder and upper neck to rear; laurel sprigs to the neck with traces of gilding; combat scene with Amazons (and Trojans?) below, armed with short swords and crescent shields, most wearing an exomis leaving the shoulder and one breast uncovered; volute palmettes below both side-handles, a panel of tiered and swirling volutes to the rear, all on a band of egg-moulding, repeated around the rim; possibly Apulian or Campanian; restored. 3 kg, 46 cm high

Ex collection Woodyat, Rome, Italy, 1912.
with Vente Genève, 24 & 25 June 1960.
Private European collection.

Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11581-199028.

Cf. The British Museum, museum number 1867,0508.1339 'Pottery: red-figured hydria (water jar)', for a similar type of vessel with a comparable volute panel to the rear, in Smith, A.N., Pryce, F.N., CVA British Museum 2 / Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: Great Britain 2, British Museum 2, London, 1926, pl.8, 15; cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 07.128.1, for a similar vessel type, in Von Bothmer, D., Guide to the Collections: Greek and Roman Art, New York, 1964, p.24, fig.32; Trendall, A.D. & Cambitoglou, A., The Red-Figured Vases of Apulia, vol.1, Oxford, 1978, pl.XXX; Robinson, E.G.D., Carpenter, T., Lynch K.M., The Italic People of Ancient Apulia: New Evidence from Pottery for Workshops, Markets, and Customs, Cambridge, 2014, figs.4.5; for the represented topic see Patten, A.E., Addressing the Other: The Amazon in Greek Art, University Honors Theses, Portland, Paper 24, 2013, fig.2, folio VIII.

The mythological topic of this hydria is fascinating, representing a fight between Amazons and Greek or Trojan heroes (suggested by the central cavalryman wearing a Phrygian cap). During this period, Amazons were no longer represented as Persian or Scythian warriors, as in Attic red-figure ceramics, but depicted as athletic parthenoi and wearing chitons. Rather than oriental costume and armour, the Amazons wear a short exomis with a bare shoulder and breast (Patten, 2013, PI.VI, I, VI,2, 2 and 3).

Both figures represented facing with bare chests, Aphrodite sitting next to the triton and holding himation over her head with her right hand, her right leg raised and the left extended, the lower part of her himation covering the lower half of her body; the lower part of Triton’s body covered by marine foliage, from which the long serpentine tail emerges on the opposite side next to Aphrodite's right leg; possibly from Asia Minor; repaired. 688 grams, 18 cm high

Ex French Sorbonne archaeology professor (deceased); 1960s-2000s.

Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.QED2323/FG-0201 from the QED Laboratory, Marseille, France.

Cf. Higgins, R.A., Greek Terracottas, London, 1967, pl. 55C, for a similar terracotta in Myrina style, representing Eros and Psyche; pl.52B, for a similar head of Aphrodite.

Many of the Smyrna and Myrina figures are feminine, the heads modelled in late Hellenistic style. The bodies are often either draped in Tanagra-style robes, or represented as figures of Aphrodite, draped, semi-nude or naked. The association with Triton is linked with the Greek myth of Aphrodite born from sea foam.

With bell-shaped body and narrow chamfered foot, two lateral looped and folded handles, broad everted rim with chamfered edge; remains of black painted design with palmettes. 1.7 kg, 26.5 cm high

with Galerie vom Parkberg, Hamburg, Germany, 1997.
Acquired Gerhard Hirsch, Munich, Germany, 24-28 September 2018, lot 677.

Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence report from Ralf Kotalla, no.190131, dated 10 March 1997.
Accompanied by a copy of the Gerhard Hirsch invoice and export licence.

Comprising two acephalic nude figures: the female shown from behind with rounded buttocks and a voluminous garment draped over her shoulders; the male figure shown frontally with his weight on his left leg, leaning against the female, left hand resting on his hip; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 197 grams, 10.3 cm high (344 grams total, 15 cm high including stand)

Ex French Sorbonne archaeology professor (deceased); 1960s-2000s.

Cf. for similar but not identical couple in terracotta in Sporn, K., ‘Hellenistic Terracotta Figurines from Syme Viannou’ in Πεπραγμένα του IA΄ Διεθνούς Κρητολογικού Συνεδρίου, Ρέθυμνον, 20-27 Οκτωβρίου 2011, Τόμος Α 2.2 Τμήμα Αρχαιολογικό. Τάφοι – Ταφικές Πρακτικές – Φυσική Ανθρωπολογία. Νέες ανασκαφικές έρευνες. Τεχνολογία – Τέχνη – Εικονογραφία, Rethymnon, 2018, pp.125-136, fig.6.

The couple represented here could be a depiction of Eros and Psyche. Terracotta figurines of these divinities are quite common in Hellenistic Asia Minor, the Black Sea, the Near East, with examples from Amisos, Ephesos, Priene and possibly Smyrna, but also in the Cyrenaica and in Sicily. In mainland Greece there are a few examples of related types from Beroia and Pella. However, not all the figurines of couples depict Eros and Psyche. Different types are known from other areas of Greece in the late Hellenistic period, on Crete there are close parallels from the Idaean cave.

Modelled robed with a palmette fan; rectangular slot to reverse, hollow underside; with traces of white engobe and polychromy; recomposed from fragments. 189 grams, 16 cm high

Private collection Adry de Carbuccia, Sainte-Maxime, France, acquired prior to 1975.
with Eurl Eve, Paris, 11 December 2013, lot 30.

Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate number S00085753, dated 26 March 2014.
Accompanied by a copy of a French cultural passport no.1537836.
Accompanied by a copy of an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.QED1340/FG-0404 from QED Laboratoire.
Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Eurl Eve catalogue pages.

Squat profile, broad body with low sidewall, black and red coloured bands and teardrops; applied strap handles to shoulder amid painted palmettes and scrolls; raised rim. 514 grams, 19 cm wide

Acquired from Charles Ede, London, 1986.
with Christie's London, 27 October 2004, lot 451.
with Christie ́s London, 20 April 2005, lot 314.

Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate number S00085809, dated 27 March 2014.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages.

With pedestal foot, decorated with radiating strokes to the rim, band of leaf ornament surrounding the central profile of a lady of fashion facing left, her hair dressed in a ribboned sakkos with stephane; earrings and necklace in white and ochre. 187 grams, 16.5 cm wide

Acquired by the vendor's father in the 1950s or before; thence by descent 2003.

With squat bulbous body, short neck, slightly dished flared rim and high strap handle to the rear with pierced lobes; bands of geometric painted ornament. 888 grams, 22.2 cm high

From the Steel family collection, 1950s-late 1990s.

Cf. similar in the collection of the British Museum under accession no.1912,1220.22, with polychrome decoration.

With elaborate band of curls to the brow; spout or hole to the rear of the head; mounted on a custom-made display stand with old lot sticker to base. 675 grams total, 19 cm high including stand

Private European collection.
with Genève Enchères, 12th December 2017, lot 861.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.11612-199036.

Cf. The British Museum, museum numbers: 1926,0410.7 'Head of terracotta female figure, wearing himation drawn up over head' and 1870,0105.2 'Terracotta female head wearing earrings', for stylistically similar examples.

Composed of a shallow bowl and broad flange rim, two integral scalloped handles with scrolled flourishes, tapering to a loop handle with swan head terminals each with incised eye and beak detailing; perforated whirl within roundel to interior base; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. 160 grams, 22.2 cm wide (526 grams total including stand)

Ex private South German collection, 1980s.
with Christie's, New York, 8 June 2012, lot 86.

Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's pages.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11578-198980.

Cf. Reeder, Ellen D., Hellenistic Art in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, 1988, p.125, no.130, for similar examples and a general discussion of type; A Passion for Antiquities, Ancient Art from the collection of Barbera and Lawrence Fleischman, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 1994, pp.77-78, no.31D; and The Search for Alexander, exhibition catalogue, 1980, p.167, no.130; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1972.118.88, for a group containing a silver strainer with similar looped handle and bird-head terminal; a similar specimen in the Walters Art Museum, accession number 57.910; a similar example in shape and quality can be seen in the ‘Tomb of the Prince’, in Pella, cf. Touratsoglou, I., Macedonia, History, Monuments, Museums, Athens, 1996, p.240, fig.312.

Elaborate silver strainers, such as this present example, were used at symposia and festive occasions for the purpose of preventing the dregs of wine from entering the wine cup. This and other related silver utensils became popular in the later 4th and 3rd century B.C. These highly decorated wine strainers were fitted with dual handles forming loops in the shape of twisting animals, here a swan. Usually they took the form of a shallow dish complete with four rings of perforations in the centre in order to drain the wine. Strainers of this type were used to separate out sediments which could be found in the thick Greek wine. Examples similar to this one have been found in royal tombs in northern Greece, as well as the tomb of a monarch in Sudan.

Comprising a penannular hoop and discoid finials with applied filigree collars; the filigree ornament repeated at the centre. 41.68 grams, 70 mm

Previously in the Mansees collection; formed 1950s-early 1990s.
From a large American collection formed in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1995.
Ex European collection.

Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.11731-200431.

Cf. Marshall, F.H., Catalogue of the Finger Rings, Greek, Etruscan and Roman, in the Department of Antiquities, British Museum, London, 1907, no.2714; Robinson, D.M., Williams, D., ‘Unpublished Greek Gold Jewelry and Gems’ in American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 57, No.1 (Jan, 1953), pp.5-19, figs.29, 31; Ogden, J., Greek Gold, Jewelry of the classical world, London, 1994; Despini, E., Greek Art, Ancient Gold Jewellery, Athens, 1996; Yavtushenko, I. (eds.), Masterpieces of Platar, Kiev, 2004.

Domed with a rolled rim and vent at the apex; decorative band above the rim with reserved lozenges on a pounced field each with an impressed dimple to the centre; cracked to one side. 19.47 grams, 48 mmCracked

Acquired early 1990s.
Ex private American collection; thence by descent.
Private Swiss collection since 1998.

See Makhortykh, S., Bronze bells of the 7th –6th century BC from the Scythian burial – mounds in the south of Eastern Europe, in СТАРОДАВНЄ ПРИЧОРНОР΄Я, vol.11, Odessa, 2016, for discussion.