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_900x900.jpg "Eastern Greek Marble Figure of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty")
_200x200.jpg "Eastern Greek Marble Figure of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty")
_900x900.jpg "Eastern Greek Marble Figure of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty")
_200x200.jpg "Eastern Greek Marble Figure of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty")
.jpg "Eastern Greek Marble Figure of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty")
.jpg "Eastern Greek Marble Figure of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty")
LOT 0123
Eastern Greek Marble Figure of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty
1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
12 3/4 in. (1.2 kg, 32.7 cm).
Carved in the round figure of the goddess standing nude with one hand raised and the other on her pudendum, her hair gathered into a chignon with lateral bunches on the crown and with voids to allow for the suspension of small gold earrings; putto at her left knee; left hand partly absent; remounted on a socle base.
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1992.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12860-241669.
Cf. Reinach, S., Repertoire de la statuarie grecque et romaine, Paris, 1930, pp.334ff., and especially no.7 of p.334.
FootnotesAphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, was one of the most widely worshipped deities in the ancient world, particularly across the eastern Greek regions of Asia Minor. In these areas, her image often blended traditional Greek ideals with local influences, giving rise to distinctive regional styles. Marble figures such as this would have served not only as works of art but also as expressions of devotion, reflecting both personal piety and broader cultural values surrounding beauty, fertility, and desire. The enduring popularity of Aphrodite’s image speaks to her central role in daily life, where she was invoked not just in matters of love, but also in marriage, prosperity, and well-being.
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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LOT 0123
Eastern Greek Marble Figure of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty
Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,200
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Etruscan Bronze Votive Figure of Genius Sacrificulus
6th-5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
Depicting a ‘genius’ making a sacrifice, his head surrounded by a radiate crown or a wreath of laurel leaves arranged in rays; bare-chested with a cloak (tebenna) falling over his left shoulder, covering his back and resting on his left arm, enveloping his legs to below the knee; holding a patera in his right hand and an acerra in his left; accompanied by a display stand. 189 grams, 12.1 cm (367 grams total, 13.4 cm high including)
Anne Betgoner, Paris, by descent. French private collection, acquired in the early 20th century. Acquired from the above by the present owner. Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13235-251199.
The figure represents a genius dressed as a priest according to the Etruscan tradition. He is celebrating a sacrifice by offering to the gods with a patera of precious liquids and perfumes, kept in the acerra or pyxis. Acerra was the name given to the casket in which the incense intended for sacrifices was placed (arcula turalis). A servant carried it to the altar, and the granules from the casket were scattered on the flames (acerra libare). -
Greek Bronze Ring with Insect
3rd-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
D-section hoop and a lentoid bezel with an insect, likely a spider with a large abdomen. 3.73 grams, 21.04 mm overall, 18.65 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Greek and Roman Bronze Statue Collection
4th century B.C.-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
Comprising: an Etruscan figure of Turms (Greek Hermes), standing and holding a patera in his right hand, original lead mounting beneath; a standing figure of nude Aphrodite, possibly later; a figure of Baubo with her legs bent and right hand touching her genitals; two standing bronze figures holding offerings. 352 grams total, 63-96 mm
Hermes from the estate of a Swiss gentleman, Ticino, before 1970. Sardinian figure ex private collection of Prof. Dr Hans (1918-1984) and Dr Ines (1922-2013) Jucker, classical archaeologists, Bern, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12669-236450.
Baubo was a minor divinity of Greek mythology, linked to the cult of Demeter and Persephone. The Egyptian Baubo figures are split into two groups. In some of these figurines her right hand is touching her genitalia. All these statuettes were votive offerings to the gods, and many of them were used as amulets.
