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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.
ProvenancePrivate 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.
See Dallas Museum of Art, object number 1969.7.
FootnotesSnakes 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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AUCTIONS:
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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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Greek Terracotta Lekanis Lid
Circa 4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £39
Discoid and convex with concentric rings to the upper face, knop handle with central recess. 34.6 grams, 77 mm
From the private collection of Mr Brian Edwards, New Malden, Surrey, UK, formed from the late 1970s-early 1980s; thence by descent. -
Etruscan Bronze Lion Head
Central Italy, late 6th century B.C.Estimate: £7,000 - 9,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,600
A decorative fitting with roaring mouth and protruding fangs and tongue, the whiskers depicted in raised radiating ridges, with lidded, elongated almond-shaped eyes and small, round ears; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 1.11 kg total, 17.5 cm including stand
with Christie’s, New York, 8 June 2001, no.58. Donati collection, Lugano, prior to 1982. Collection of Banca della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, prior to 1986. Formerly in the Bourgknecht collection, Switzerland. Accompanied by Art Loss certificate no.S00123227. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13230-249992.
This head was probably, as was the parallel head of the Barberini Tomb, originally attached to a magnificent bronze cauldron. These large cauldrons of hammered bronze were realised with the heads and necks of two lions and two gryphons attached to the rim. The cauldrons were spherical in form and rested on a stand. -
Greek Bronze Ring
Circa 4th-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Comprising a slender round-section hoop and an oval bezel. 2.53 grams, 25.76 mm overall, 19.02x21.72 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T 1/2, USA 9 3/4, Europe 21.89, Japan 21)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.