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LOT 0055
Cypriot Limestone Head of a Deer
IRON AGE, CIRCA LATE 6TH-EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.
7 3/4 in. (982 grams total, 19.7 cm including stand).
Carved in the round with stub antlers to the brow; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceAcquired before 1947.
Ex Wood family collection, UK; thence by descent 1970.
Cf. Karageorghis, V., Cipro, Crocevia del Mondo Mediterraneo orientale 1600-500 a.C., Milano, 2002, fig.405, for a bull in similar style; cf. nearly identical head of a deer of the same period in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.74.57.25.
FootnotesThe deer head probably came from a larger votive terracotta sculpture, which depicted a standing doe, perhaps being led to be sacrificed. The presence of the deer could connect the original terracotta to a sanctuary of Diana, whose sacred animal was the deer.
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AUCTIONS:
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Greek and Other Terracotta Pottery Group
1st millennium B.C. and earlierSold for (Inc. bp): £208
Fragments including carinated bowl with painted frieze to the shoulder, squat jar, cup with everted rim and other types. 2.1 kg total, 9-14 cm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
South Italian Black-Glazed Miniature Hydria
4th century B.C.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
Decorated with ribbed fluting around the body and broad shoulder, slender neck with stepped and everted rim and mouth, two handles to the equator, a carry handle between neck and shoulder to the rear, discoid foot; repaired. 232 grams, 16.5 cm high
Private collection. Anonymous sale, Eve Auctions, Paris, December 11, 2013, no.11. -
Etruscan Terracotta Votive Hand
Circa 4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
Hollow-formed model hand with fingers held straight together. 430 grams, 20.5 cm
Old private collection, Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Acquired from Agora Auctions, Auction 60, no.417. Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 16.03. Accompanied by detailed collector's catalogue pages including description and images.
Votives of an anatomical nature began in the Hellenistic or late Classical period, where they were associated with healing and with fertility.The red pigment on the votive suggests that it was provided by a male; female hands were white or pink. The votives were provided to visitors at the temple, and were disposed of over time.
