Loading, please wait...
LOT 0552
Cypriot Red Polished Ware Bowl with Spout
EARLY-MIDDLE BRONZE AGE, CIRCA 2700-1900 B.C.
8 5/8 in. (490 grams, 22 cm).
Hemispherical in profile with burnished surface, raised band below the rim with impressed holes to the outer face, pierced rim, short curved spout; repaired. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
TimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Greek Bronze Snake Biting a Cicada Mount Fragment
Circa 5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
D-section insect body with lateral splayed wings, merging with the head of a serpent with scale detailing. 46.15 grams, 43 mm
From the collection of an London antiquarian, 1980s. -
Cypriot Geometric Terracotta Jar
9th-8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Globular in form with trumpet-shaped mouth, painted band to shoulder. 612 grams, 16.5 cm high
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Greek Campanian Black-Glazed Kernos
Late 4th century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £800
Comprising a round pedestal supporting four small offering pots, interspersed with four female face protomes; looped handle to the centre with parallel strokes in low-relief. 623 grams, 16 cm high
From the West German collection of H.W. Acquired from the De Mynter, Belgium, in 2011. with Gorny and Mosch, Munich, 3 June 2017, no.52. Private Portuguese R.M. collection. Accompanied by a previous catalogue information slip.
The kernos can be recognised by a series of small cups on the lip, with examples dating back to the Bronze Age. It was used to store offerings made to the gods, specifically in cults pertaining to Demeter and Persephone. The receptacles probably contained foodstuffs, or perhaps flowers, and a lamp was sometimes placed in the centre. Kernoses, such as this, were often carried in processions at the Eleusinian Mysteries (secret initiation rites celebrating the goddesses Demeter and Persephone) and were an important object for Greek religious life. Kernoses are thus closely related to the agrarian cult and to the myth of Persephone and Demeter, the goddess of fertility and agriculture. The myth is recounted on an Homeric Hymn (c. 650 B.C.) according to which Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, was seized by Hades, the king of the underworld, who brought her to his kingdom to make her his wife. Distraught, Demeter caused a terrible drought, which continued until Persephone returned to her mother from the underworld. Having consumed pomegranate seeds whilst she was in the Underworld, she was only able to be with her for a few months of the year.
