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LOT 0067
Etruscan Bronze Ceres Statuette
3RD-2ND CENTURY B.C.
2 3/4 in. (86 grams, 71 mm).
Female with hair drawn up in a chignon, palla wrapped tightly around the upper body hiding the right arm bent with the hand at the shoulder, lower hem of robe flared; fixing lug to underside.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 143 (Fortuna) in similar robe; 203, Ceres or Pomona.
FootnotesThis is a figurine of a deity of difficult interpretation representing an ex-voto. This typology is widespread in the votive offerings of Etrusco-Roman sanctuaries, and by analogy with various statuettes could represent Ceres.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0067
Etruscan Bronze Ceres Statuette
Estimate £700 - 900€810 - 1,040 (for guidance only)$950 - 1,220 (for guidance only)
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Greek Terracotta Figure Fragment Group
6th-4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Including hollow-formed busts, body fragments and other types. 632 grams total, 3.8-15.5 cm
with H.A.C., Basel, prior 1999. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Large Greek Geometric Bronze Spiral Fibula
7th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £520
Formed from a single filament rolled into two 'spectacle' discs; one of the spirals terminating in a long pin, the other in a hook serving as the catchplate; openwork figure-of-eight at the centre; pin present but detached. 159 grams, 16.5 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Parthian Bronze Batillum with a Reclining Banqueteer Holding a Skyphos and Rhyton
3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,000
Comprising a square base with a raised border and supported by four stub feet, each originally surmounted by poppy-head finials (one now absent); a hollow-formed figure of a banqueteer reclining elegantly with his weight resting on his left elbow, his proper right leg drawn up beneath the folds of a finely pleated robe; in his right hand, a ram’s head rhyton and his left hand cradling a skyphos; his bearded head with a laurel wreath. 1.58 kg, 25 cm
Private New York collection, formed in the 1960s. Acquired on the North American art market, 1990s. with Cahn Auktionen AG, Basel, Switzerland, 13 November 2015, no.84 (CHF 18,000). 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.12379-226873. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The composition reflects the iconography of elite banquet culture in the ancient world, capturing both refinement and ritual in a single expressive figure. The Greek 'συμπόσιον' 'symposium' was the later part of a formal banquet which took place after the food had been consumed, when the serving of strong drink was accompanied by music, dancing, poetic composition or recital or earnest conversation. The custom has similarities with the Roman convivium and with the customs of many Mediterranean and Western Asiatic people. The Parthian Empire was culturally diverse and included many Hellenic groups; the Arsacid court adopted a range of aspects of contemporary Greek culture, among them Greek military structures and the Greek language as a lingua franca alongside the Parthian (Iranian) language and Aramaic.
