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LOT 0536
Cypriot Trefoil Mouthed Terracotta Jug
EARLY BRONZE AGE, 2500-1900 B.C.
5 7/8 in. (903 grams, 14.8 cm).
Biconvex in profile with broad shoulder and pinched trefoil mouth, strap handle to the rear; band of incised multilinear zigzag ornament to the shoulder. [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.
See Morris, D., The Art of ancient Cyprus, Oxford, 1985, pl.IA, p.18, for examples of similar ceramics.
FootnotesThe 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.
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 Limestone Bull Statue
Cypro-Archaic I, 750-600 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
Carved in the round as an advancing bull with its tail placed between the hindlegs, thick fur to the throat; the fill between the legs with traces of cross-hatching in red pigment; old collector's label '477' to flange base; mounted on an old wooden collector's stand with painted numeral '193' to one face. 1.29 kg total, 24 cm including stand
Base and collection numbers suggesting it may have been deaccessioned from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Joseph Klein collection, formed in New York between 1941-1980, thence by descent. with Bonhams, London, 24 October 2012, no.3. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
This possibly represents a bull or bull calf associated with the Apis cult. -
Cypriot Terracotta Head of a Warrior
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £117
With conical helmet bearing vertical lines of impressed points (representing rivets), applied square-cut beard and domed eyes; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 95 grams total, 87 mm including stand
Ex Sotheby's 2003-2005. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Greek Chalcidian Black-Figure Amphora with Heracles and Nemean Lion
Circa 650-575 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £45,500
With two figural scenes: Side A: the first of the canonical labours of Heracles, the fight against the Nemean lion - in the centre the hero standing over the lion, strangling it with his left arm while thrusting his sword into its neck; two other standing figures witness the fight - on the right Athena, fully armed and ready to defend Heracles with her lance, and to the left Hermes, recognisable by his hat (petasos), winged boots and the caduceus; Side B: a nude horseman, holding his lance and accompanied by his dog, walking towards a king seated on his throne, holding a sceptre in his left hand; on the far right, a standing woman, probably the king's wife; a sphinx under the throne and two flying birds; some restoration. 3.1 kg, 43.5 cm
Some restoration, in general in good condition.
Ex German private collection. with Hampel Kunst Auction, Munich, 2012, no.867. Private European collection, thence by family descent. 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 a search certificate number no.12069-218134.
The shape is typical of the period, and is decorated with black-figured technique, in which the figures were silhouetted in black slip on a reddish clay ground, and linear elements were incised with a needle, with additional details painted with white and cherry red-slip. The amphora seems to belong to one of the sub-types of the ‘Pseudo-Chalcidian’ group (the Poliphemus group), derived from the main Chalcidian series
