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LOT 0066
Cypriot Stone Goddess and Child Statue
IRON AGE, 6TH CENTURY B.C.
9 1/2 in. (1.54 kg total, 24 cm high including stand).
The female seated on a chair with arm-supports at the sides, wearing a long robe with ruched panel to the chest and pleated sleeves, the hair drawn up into a transverse band above the brow, surmounted by a tiara; hands across the waist holding an infant with head erect; mounted on a custom-made stand; 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.
Cf. Museum of fine Arts of Boston, Art of Ancient Cyprus, Boston, 1972, fig.44 (for a similar goddess seated with baby).
FootnotesThe statuette probably represents the goddess of fertility, originally imported from Crete in the 11th century B.C. but whose iconography survived in Cyprus until the 5th century B.C. The tiara is a characteristic attribute of this divinity, related to the Greek Demeter. The statue is probably a votive statue propitiatory for births.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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Cypriot Trefoil Mouthed Terracotta Jug
Early Bronze Age, 2500-1900 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Biconvex in profile with broad shoulder and pinched trefoil mouth, strap handle to the rear; band of incised multilinear zigzag ornament to the shoulder. 903 grams, 14.8 cm
From 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.
The vessel belongs to the group of Philia red polished ware, a ware imported in Cyprus from Anatolian refugees, or locally made by copying external imports. It was characterised by multiple zigzag and open herringbone bands. -
Villanovan Impasto Amphora
Circa 10th-8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
With a scalloped design on the body and twin symmetrical handles rising from the shoulder; restored. 790 grams, 18.5 cm wide
From the Rempte collection, Upstate New York, USA; acquired before 1980. Ex Artemis Gallery, Colorado, USA, 4 August 2016, lot 10. with a Chicago, USA, collection. Ex Harlan J. Berk Ltd, Chicago, USA. Acquired from Palmyra Heritage Gallery, New York, 27 April 2020, lot 2. Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 20.22. Accompanied by detailed collector's catalogue pages including description and photograph.
The terracotta has a distinctive shape, characterised by vertical grooves and frequently incised double spirals. The style was indigenous to Italy. The handles were thin and flat, while their sharp curves imply that the vessel’s shape originated from metallic prototypes, like shown by silver examples with gold handles found in the Regolini-Galassi Tomb in Caere (modern Cerveteri). -
Cypriot Terracotta Vessel with Bull's Head on Rim
Bronze Age, circa 2000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Bell-shaped jar with pierced lug below the rim, applied bull-head opposite; repaired. 670 grams, 17.1 cm wide
From the private collection of Dick Meijer. From 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. Accompanied by an old handwritten tag with provenance.