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_900x900.jpg "Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions")
_200x200.jpg "Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions")
_900x900.jpg "Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions")
_200x200.jpg "Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions")
_900x900.jpg "Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions")
_200x200.jpg "Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions")
.jpg "Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions")
.jpg "Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions")
.jpg "Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions")
LOT 0076
Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions
6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C. OR LATER
3/4 in. (4.25 grams, 19 mm).
Scaraboid type with incuse design to the underside of a nude hero facing, holding one lion by the neck and another by the hind leg; supplied with a museum-quality impression. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
LiteratureCf. a similar (but not identical) gemstone with Herakles fighting a lion and a fox, in Boardman, J., Greeks gems and finger rings, Early Bronze Age to Late Classical, London, 1970, no.343; cf. also Spier, J., Ancient Gems and finger Rings, catalogue of the collections, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 1992, no.103.
FootnotesThe gem could be considered a representation of Heracles, even if the iconography is unusual, and is influenced by the Mesopotamian environment, from where it borrows the frontal image of the hero (Gilgamesh or Enkidu) fighting with two beasts. The hero is beardless and holding an inverted lion. He is acting like a master of the animals, showing eastern traits reminiscent of Graeco-Phoenician art. In the Phoenician tradition, a similar image of the god Bes, holding two lions, as posis theron (‘Master of the Animals’), is common. The type is more frequent in the Eastern Mediterranean than in the West and is found on scarabs in carnelian and chalcedony.
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LOT 0076
Eastern Greek Carnelian Scaraboid Gemstone with Nude Hero Holding Lions
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
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Etruscan Agate Talismanic Scarab
Late 4th-early 3rd century B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Carved from banded orange agate and formed as a flattened scarab with a striated carapace, pierced for suspension. 3.53 grams, 18 mm
UK private collection, acquired on the English market in the 2000s.
The shape of an Etruscan scarab includes: (1) the scarab gem, where the engraving of the curved back of the stone more or less faithfully imitates the anatomical parts of the scarab beetle; (2) the scaraboid, which retains the overall shape of the scarab gem but with little or no engraving on the curved backside; and (3) the pseudo-scarab, which has an image carved in relief on its curved backside instead of a beetle. All three types have a flat, oval underside which carries an engraved miniature image (device) within a decorated border which is usually hatched. -
Greek Glass Head of an African Male
Carthaginian, 2nd century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Moulded in the round in black glass with short hair, casting seam around the edges. 1.57 grams, 17 mm
Ex private collection of the late Mr S.M., London, UK, acquired 1979-1999, thence by descent. Accompanied by a previously illustrated catalogue card with provenance. -
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Etruscan Bronze Statue of a Satyr
Circa 6th century B.C.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,800
Modelled in the round in energetic pose with left hand resting on the hip and right arm raised, head tilted slightly upwards, tail curled gracefully over the rump; on a square base with papyrus stalk detailing; on a later gilt-metal stand mounted on a polished stone cube. 679 grams total, 20.4 cm including stand
Iris Cornelia Love (1933–2020), New York, collection primarily formed in the 1950s-1970s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13335-258241.
Many of the scenes show satyrs in Etruscan art transgressing the limits of accepted behaviour. As symbol of inversion of order, the satyr reflects the rules of the life and culture of the Etruscans and their values. Satyrs in comic, surprising situations indicate the Etruscans' sense of humour. They got their inspiration from Greek art when illustrating myths and narratives, often with a light-hearted approach of their own. The Etruscans were known to be devoted to religious rites and satyrs appear in such scenes too. Satyrs, connected with the Dionysian cortege, appear also on vases in sacrifice scenes and it is suggested here that satyrs dancing and gambolling around a wine vessel are performing a cultic dance in honour of Dionysos.
