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LOT 0077
Bronze Military Standard Finial of an Ibex
TRANSCAUCASIA, 13TH-6TH CENTURY B.C.
5 7/8 in. (643 grams total, ibex: 15 cm high).
Wth a rounded body and prominent raised neck, a tubular muzzle with stylised eyes and ears and a small, slightly open mouth; a ring with a chain and a large carnelian sphere beneath the chin; a wide incised groove above the front legs, perhaps intended to represent muscles; a long slit beneath the abdomen; standing on a rectangular platform with a pin for insertion to a wooden shaft; accompanied by a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceAcquired in Vienna, Austria, in the 1990s.
Collection of N.M., former Israeli Ambassador to Austria (1998–2000).
Private collection, London.
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.13039-247908.
Cf. Loehr, M., ‘The Stag Image in Scythia and the Far East’ in Archives of the Chinese Art Society of America Volume 9, 1955, pp.63-76 and pls.74-76; Davis-Kimball, J., Bashilov A.V., Yablonsky, L., Nomads of the Eurasian Steppes in the Early Iron Age, Berkeley, 1995, p.216, fig.12, for a similar mountain goat as top of a pole; p.272, fig.12, for the finial of a mountain goat from the Arzhan Kurgan; p.323 lett.p., for another similar finial.
FootnotesIn Scythian art, the ibex was often depicted in dynamic ‘animal style’ symbolising life, strength, and perhaps cosmic struggles, potentially linked to seasonal cycles or fertility, showing its sacred status as a totem animal alongside mouflons. The realistically depicted posture of the animal testifies to the ancient masters' keenness of observation and of their skill in rendering the character of the animal in metal. The posture recalls more archaic (7th-6th century B.C.) animal style art found in the Tagar finials.
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LOT 0077
Bronze Military Standard Finial of an Ibex
Estimate £8,000 - 10,000€9,280 - 11,600 (for guidance only)$10,800 - 13,500 (for guidance only)
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Greek Bronze Duck's Head
3rd-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,690
Modelled in the round with realistic features, textured plumage, rounded beak. 236 grams, 10.1 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. 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.12378-226677. -
Greek Gold 'Golden Fleece' Ram-Horn Pair
5th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £6,240
A matched pair of sheet-gold model ram's horns, each curved with a narrow end flattened, ribbed body, flared rim to the mouth with applied granule detailing; probably from a representation of the χρυσόμαλλον δέρας or 'golden fleece' from the legend of Jason and his adventures with the crew of the ship Argo. 60.61 grams total, 10.5 cm each
From a private collection of seals and amulets, the property of a Canadian gentleman living in London; from his father's collection formed in the late 1960s to 1980s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13105-249639.
The legend of the Golden Fleece is referenced by several ancient writers, including Pindar, whose reformulation forms the basis of most modern retellings, but an earlier version was evidently familiar to Homer in the 8th century B.C. It appears as a pictorial theme on early Greek vases. The story refers to a celestial winged ram with golden wool, which was believed to live and be worshipped by the inhabitants of lands north of the Black Sea; this ram, in some versions of the tale, is transformed into the constellation Aries. -
Parthian Faience Glazed Offering Chalice with Quadrupeds
Circa 3rd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £546
Modelled in the round as two quadrupeds on a square base supporting a shallow bowl on a stem; the beasts with rope halter to the neck. 645 grams, 12.8 cm
Collected from 1979-1999. From the collection of the late Mr Shlomo Mousiaffee, London, UK. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK.
