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_900x900.jpg "Etruscan Amber Head Pendant")
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LOT 0075
Etruscan Amber Head Pendant
ETRURIA, 5TH CENTURY B.C.
2 in. (3 1/4 in.) (23 grams, 50 mm (242 grams total, 81 mm including stand)).
Carved from translucent red-brown amber as a profile head with stylised Archaic features, large almond eye beneath a defined brow ridge, a softly smiling mouth, and carefully delineated hair arranged in striated bands sweeping back from the face; a drilled perforation at the crown indicates its original function as a suspended ornament; accompanied by a display stand.
ProvenanceSotheby's, London, 14-15 December 1981, no.206.
American private collection; acquired at the above sale.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13329-257968.
See for related profile head pendants in amber, The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, inv. nos. 83.AO.202.1 and 77.AO.81.30, both published in Causey, F. (ed.), Ancient Carved Ambers in the J. Paul Getty Museum (2012/2019); see also Christie’s, London, Antiquities, 14 April 2011, lot 129, for a stylistically comparable example.
FootnotesAmber was a prestigious imported material in Etruria, highly prized for its rarity, colour, and perceived apotropaic power. From the late 6th century B.C. onwards, figured amber pendants appear in elite tombs, particularly those of women, reflecting both personal identity and a protective role within funerary belief systems. The prominent, wide-open eye here may have served as a talismanic motif, thought to ward off malign forces and ensure the wearer’s vigilance and well-being in life and beyond the grave. This piece reflects the distinctive aesthetic of Etruscan amber carving, in which Mediterranean influences are reinterpreted with a locally expressive sculptural style.
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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Greek Black-Figure Lekythos with Horses and Fighting Warriors
Athens, 550-500 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
Cylindrical with echinus mouth and stepped torus foot, on the body a dynamic scene consisting of four rearing horses, side-by-side and wearing harnesses, nestled between the horses a standing warrior wearing a crested helmet, behind the horses an advancing warrior wearing a plumed helmet, holding a long spear in his raised hand a round shield in the other; before the horses a fleeing opponent in a running pose, facing back and holding a spear in one hand while protecting himself with a shield held in the other; long tongue motifs on the shoulder; restored. 472 grams, 23.5 cm
Ex Bonhams, Knightsbridge, London, 1990s. Private collection, Suffolk.
The scene depicts a battle between hoplites, possibly an episode from the Iliad. Originally, one or two of the combatants were positioned on a chariot; four horses from it remain visible. The scene may represent the wounding of Ares, the god of war, as he is pursued by Diomedes and accompanied by the goddess Pallas, whose helmet is emerging from behind the horses. -
Etruscan Carnelian Scarab of a Charioteer in Gold Ring
Late 4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,860
Opaque scaraboid engraved in globolo style with a dynamic scene of a charioteer driving a biga with his whip raised; set in a later sheet-gold mount and swivel ring, possibly 19th century; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 4.26 grams, 25.07 mm overall, 17.77 x 16.22 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)
Private English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s. Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12948-245985.
In line with trends introduced from the Eastern Mediterranean increasing use was made by the Etruscans of war chariots, even more luxurious in appearance and faced with embossed sheets of bronze. In addition to transporting warriors, they proved an effective means of controlling outlying areas, and in case were status symbols of great prestige. The Orientalizing period also saw the importation of swift and nimble breeds that were particularly suited for use as cavalry mounts. -
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Etruscan Agate Talismanic Scarab
Late 4th-early 3rd century B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £222
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.
