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LOT 0552
Cypriot Alabaster Alabastron
6TH-4TH CENTURY B.C.
4 3/8 in. (72 grams, 11 cm).
With a slender piriform body and two lug handles, conical neck with everted rim.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no.74.51.5120, for similar; cf. also Bissing, F.W., Studien zur ältesten Kultur Italiens. IV. Alabastra. Studi Etruschi 13, pp. 131– 78, pls.XII-XIII for similar examples.
FootnotesAn example of the greater variability in form is the stone type with alabastron body and anthropomorphic top, sculpted with the upper body of a female. These types have been found in the eastern Mediterranean and Italy dating from the 7th century to the mid to late 6th century and can be divided into two groups: an eastern group beginning in the seventh century, based on Mesopotamian prototypes, and probably produced on Cyprus, as evidenced by its close relation to contemporary Cypriot sculpture; and a western group dating to the first half of the sixth century and produced in Etruria, probably in imitation of eastern examples.
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Large Greek Silver Ring with Advancing Lion
5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,680
With round-section hoop and scaphoid plaque, incuse advancing lion in profile on a baseline. 16.12 grams, 30.64 mm overall, 19.55 x 22.66 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V 1/2, USA 10 3/4, Europe 24.4, Japan 23)
with Artemis Gallery, Munich, 1990s. Acquired from Artemis Gallery, 8 February 2006. European private collection. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12659-234646. 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. -
Thracian Gold Applique
Circa 5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £421
Rectangular in plan with beaded border on three sides, openwork quatrefoil with volute-scroll to each angle. 3.17 grams, 32 mm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Cypriot Cylinder Seal of White Stone with Standing Figure
Circa 1500-1300 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £780
Cylinder with cord and bead handles; accompanied by a copy of an old scholarly note, typed and signed by W.G. Lambert, late Professor of Assyriology, University of Birmingham, 1970-1993, which states: 'Cylinder Seal of White Stone (surface blackened in places) 30.5 x 21 mm. The main scene consists of a standing figure with a big shock of hair, wearing a long skirt from the waist down, marked by horizontal lines, holding up snakes in each hand. On each side of this figure is a horned animal, bovine on the left, of uncertain species on the right, each in lively pose, the one on the right sideways. There is one filler in the main scene, the head of a horned animal. The secondary scene consists of five items: a star, a bull's head shown from the front, a tree, a rosette and the head of an unidentified horned animal. This is a seal in a local Cypriot style, from Cyprus, and dating to c.1500-1300 B.C. It is an important specimen of good quality, though knowledge of ancient Cypriot mythology does not yet allow us to identify the figure holding the snakes.'; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 26.3 grams, 30 mm
UK private collection, acquired 1980-1983. Accompanied by a copy of a scholarly note, typed and signed by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert in February 1992. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
