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LOT 2050
Bronze Grand Tour Statue of 'The Dying Gaul' from the Capitoline Museum
ITALY, CIRCA 1880 A.D.
12 5/8 in. (4 kg, 32 cm).
Copy of a Greek sculpture (now lost) from the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC) thought to have been made in bronze; a young Galatian warrior, wounded in the chest by a sword blow and dying, half-lying with his face turned downwards; with typical features of the idealised Celtic warrior: the high cheekbones, the hairstyle with thick and long locks, and the moustache (mytax); resting on a discarded shield with short sword under his right hand, straps and two tubular war-horns.
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a S.W. London gentleman, acquired in the 1970s.
LiteratureSee Mattei, M., Il Galata Capitolino, Rome, 1998.
FootnotesThe Dying Gaul statue was rediscovered in Rome in the early 17th century, specifically in the 1620s, during excavations for the Villa Ludovisi. It was initially part of the Ludovisi collection and later acquired by Pope Clement XII for the Capitoline Museums.
Except for a torque around the neck (a metal necklace typical of Celtic warriors), the figure is completely naked. It is possible to identify the figure tentatively as the ‘Trumpeter of Epigonos’ mentioned by Pliny (Natural History 34.88).
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 2050
Bronze Grand Tour Statue of 'The Dying Gaul' from the Capitoline Museum
Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
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Roman Intaglio of Three Wrestling Erotes in Later Silver Ring
1st-2nd century A.D. and laterEstimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
D-section hoop with widening lozenge-shaped shoulders supporting two discoid bezels; one with orange stone intaglio of three winged erotes, two engaged in a wrestling competition; a mirror image in gold below. 16.07 grams, 29.75 mm overall, 17.58 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. -
Post-Classical Rock Crystal Gemstone with Bust of the Emperor Hadrian
17th century A.D. or laterEstimate: £2,500 - 3,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,250
Ellipsoid in plan with incuse profile bust of Emperor Hadrian, bearded and wearing a laurel wreath on his brow; in an antique mount open to the underside; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 12.68 grams, 31.18 mm overall, 20.40 mm internal diameter (approximate size British R, USA 8 1/2, Europe 18 3/4, Japan 18)
Acquired on the French art market. Private collection, England. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13148-249494. -
Very Large Glazed Bellarmine Witch's Bottle with Contents
Late 16th-early 17th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,750
Vessel of squat spherical form with a broad cylindrical neck, strap handle and foot with rolled rim, bearded face (Bartmann 'mask') and other detailing; with original contents comprising: eight iron clout nails with square-section shank and domed head; three similar with flat head; base metal dress pin with hollow-formed spherical head; similar with biconvex head; fragment of coarse-woven textile with five pins in situ; thirteen unassociated pins. 1.7 kg total, bottle: 26.5 cm
From the private collection of a London, UK, gentleman.
Witch bottles were a response to the common belief in witchcraft, which was feared in the Puritan culture of those times. The process involved heating the victim’s urine in a bottle, mixed with human hair and metal nails and pins, sometimes inserted into a cloth panel representing the victim's heart. The bottle was then either buried under the hearth of a house (East Anglian tradition) or thrown into a river (London tradition). The heating of the bottle was supposed to transfer to the body of the witch who had caused the victim to be afflicted.
