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Details
LOT 0531
Archaic Greek Bronze Statuette of a Coiled and Rearing Snake
ARCHAIC, 6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
4 1/4 in. (312 grams, 11 cm).
Modelled in the round with coiled body and rearing head, barbed fin to the forehead, punched annulet texturing on the body.
Provenance
Private collection, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, assembled in the 1980s.
Acquired in 1995 by a European private collector.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12856-241689.
Literature
See Dallas Museum of Art, object number 1969.7.
Footnotes
Snakes were important symbols in ancient Greek culture and were often linked with protection, healing, and renewal. Because they shed their skin, they were seen as a sign of rebirth and new life. They were also connected with gods and spirits of the earth and underworld, and in some cases were thought to protect the home or sacred places. In Greek art, a snake could therefore carry both religious and symbolic meaning.
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LOT 0531
Archaic Greek Bronze Statuette of a Coiled and Rearing Snake
Estimate £5,000 - 7,000€5,800 - 8,120 (for guidance only)$6,750 - 9,450 (for guidance only)
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Archaic Greek Bronze Statuette of a Coiled and Rearing Snake
Archaic, 6th-5th century B.C.Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,500
Modelled in the round with coiled body and rearing head, barbed fin to the forehead, punched annulet texturing on the body. 312 grams, 11 cm
Private collection, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, assembled in the 1980s. Acquired in 1995 by a European private collector. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12856-241689.
Snakes were important symbols in ancient Greek culture and were often linked with protection, healing, and renewal. Because they shed their skin, they were seen as a sign of rebirth and new life. They were also connected with gods and spirits of the earth and underworld, and in some cases were thought to protect the home or sacred places. In Greek art, a snake could therefore carry both religious and symbolic meaning.
