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_900x900.jpg "Eastern Greek Bronze Standing Bull Statuette")
_200x200.jpg "Eastern Greek Bronze Standing Bull Statuette")
.jpg "Eastern Greek Bronze Standing Bull Statuette")
LOT 0066
Eastern Greek Bronze Standing Bull Statuette
CIRCA 11TH-9TH CENTURY B.C.
3 3/8 in. (141 grams total, 86 mm wide including stand).
With thick ribbed neck, crescent horns and prominent genitals; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of D. Smith, Sussex, UK, 1990s.
LiteratureCf. similar bull in the Museum of Fine Art of Budapest, inventory no.51.946.
FootnotesLike dozens of similar statuettes depicting animals or human figures, this bronze bull was probably offered by a worshipper during a sacrifice. A large number of statuettes were found in a thick layer of ash from the altar of Zeus at Olympia. In 2021, a similar statuette, with protruding horns, was found in the sanctuary. Bulls and horses were the favourite cultic animals in the Cretan, Achaean and Archaic Greek civilisations. The model of the long and narrow body was borrowed from the Near East.
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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Scythian Fretwork Bronze Mount
Late 1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Rectangular frame with openwork design of two tiered horses with legs folded beneath the body and head turned to the rear; pierced eyes and ears for attachment. 16.8 grams, 51 mm
Ex S. collection, London UK, 1970-1990s. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the 1990s with collection reference no.V 447. -
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Gold Necklace with Agate Pendant
1st century B.C.-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £15,000 - 20,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £7,500
A Graeco-Roman or Phoenician chain of loop-in-loop links and thick suspension ring, gold dome with bands of applied granules capping an egg-shaped banded agate drop. 26.19 grams, 48 cm long
Acquired in the late 1980s-early 1990s. Important North West London collection. 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 search certificate no.11935-210477.
Agate was appreciated in the Greek and Roman world for its magical virtues. A recently found agate gemstone from Imperial-era Anapa, which differs from the other similar agate stones in its spherical shape and large size, was inscribed with a text referring to traditional Greek expulsion rituals against evil and diseases, ending with a list of human head parts similar to the one found in the Hippocratic medical handbook. The gemstone was probably worn not only as an amulet, but also as a miniature handbook with instructions for making amulets. According to Pliny the Elder (NH, XXXVII, 47) a certain type of agate was protected against spiders and scorpions. -
Hellenistic Bronze Ring with Warrior
Circa 2nd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
With a round-section hoop and oval-shaped bezel, intaglio image of an advancing warrior holding a shield and a sword. 9.02 grams, 26.15 mm overall, 20.91 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T 1/2, USA 9 3/4, Europe 21.89, Japan 21)
Ex old English collection. London art market, pre 2000. Property of a London, UK, gentleman.
