Bronze Handle of a Leaping Panther

With rosette in the gable, a basket filled with wool and a garland above it; inscription in Greek reading: 'ΥΓΕΙΑ ΑΛΥΠΕ ΧΑΙΡΕ (HEGHIA ALYPE CHAERE' (Long life [or health], free from sorrow, farewell!). 88 kg, 70.5 cm



Ex Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany, during the 19th century. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12657-236384. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

This type of stele is comparatively rare, and highly gendered: it is intended to represent a woman when decorated with a basket of wool, and for a man when decorated with an eagle. They are typical of the Zeugma area of the Euphrates river in ancient Seleukia.

Comprising a bulbous body and a short neck with everted rim, two strap handles with incised striations continuing in an inverted V-shape beneath the handles; on each side of the body a large double spiral flanked by five curving lines, a stylised bird above. 343 grams, 16.5 cm



Ex Fortuna, Gallery for Ancient Art (Zurich, Kirchgasse 31) Basel, 7 April 1984. Private collection, Bern, Switzerland. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

With the arrival of the Greeks (775 B.C. at Pithekoussai, 750 B.C. at Cumae), a clear technical advancement in ceramic production was observed: impasto vessels began to show more varied patterns, were fired at higher temperatures, and were eventually replaced by wheel-made pottery in the Greek style. Despite growing populations, there remained a significant demand for this more 'old-fashioned' yet technically refined pottery. Note on the term impasto (Italian): in painting, it refers to the thick application of paint (a textured, paste-like technique). In ceramics, it refers to a thick layer of slip (a watered suspension of purified clay) applied before firing, which results in a homogenous, matte-glossy surface after firing.

Tall unglazed ceramic comprising a biconical body and low basal ring, rounded shoulder and broad funicular neck with rolled rim, two strap handles to the equator; painted with bands of ring-and-dot motifs to neck and shoulder, interstitial horizontal bands; repaired. 3.8 kg, 43.5 cm



Property of a Cambridgeshire collector. From his private collection since the 1970s; thence by descent circa 2000. Ex private collection of a Bedfordshire gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.