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LOT 0049
Etruscan Bronze Figure of a Kouros
LATE 6TH CENTURY B.C.
4 3/8 in. (118 grams, 11.2 cm).
Depicting a youthful nude kouros standing frontally, with a long, slender body, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and arms hanging close to the sides; the head, slightly oversized, characterised by an oval face, large almond-shaped eyes, an Archaic smile, and finely modelled ears, the hair arranged in beaded locks framing the forehead and falling onto the shoulders, reflecting the influence of contemporary Greek Archaic sculpture; standing on an integral rectangular base provided with a long tang for attachment.
ProvenanceAcquired on the European art market between 1960s and 1980s.
English private collection, property of a gentleman.
Bertolami Fine Art, London, Auction 54, 9 November 2018, no.88.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13320-258214.
See for closely comparable examples, including the kouroi from Talamone (circa 540–530 B.C.) and Fonte Veneziana (circa 530–510 B.C.), both preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Florence; Salskov Roberts, H., Catalogue of the Sardinian, Etruscan and Italic Bronze Statuettes in the Danish National Museum, 2021, cat. 4, inv. no. 4807, for the type.
FootnotesThe elegant proportions and linear modelling place the statuette within the widespread production of Etruscan votive bronzes of the Late Archaic period, probably intended as a sanctuary dedication.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0049
Etruscan Bronze Figure of a Kouros
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
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Greek Bronze Ring with Centaur
3rd-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
With a slender hoop and an oval bezel with a galloping centaur facing back with his arms raised. 3.40 grams, 22.48 mm overall, 18.34 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
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Large Etruscan Statue of a Priest with Patera
2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £21,320
Modelled in the round standing figure with palla draped over the left shoulder and from the hips, extending to calf-length; the head with aquiline nose and dimpled chin modelled with a wreath of large leaves around the brow forming a corona; exaggerated eyes left blank to accept silver inserts; left arm bent, hand holding an incense-holder with cruciform design; right arm extended at shoulder-height with phiale mesomphalos offering dish; socket beneath left foot and screw-threaded post beneath right, repairs to both lower legs. 1.23 kg, 28.4 cm high
Sotheby's, New York, 17 December 1996, no.79. Private collection, New York, USA. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Sotheby's catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13355-255463.
The figure is probably a devotee or priest of Diana preparing to make ritual observances with the offering plate and incense burner. A group of similar figures was recovered from the shallows of Lake Nemi south of Rome, close to the site of the Temple of Diana. -
Greek Bronze Hercules and Antaeus Statue Group
Hellenistic, 3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £4,900
Dynamic scene of two nude wrestlers, the giant Antaeus and Hercules, Hercules lifting Antaeus off the ground with his arms, while Antaeus is trying to pry his arms open to regain contact with Mother Earth, which would restore his strength; set on a custom-made display stand. 1.01 kg total, 20.3 cm high including stand
Mallams Oxford. From a UK private collection since the 1970s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13333-258242.
Here, the giant Antaeus is depicted with the more common dimensions of the hero, Hercules. Antaeus was a giant, the son of Neptune and Gaia. Antaeus would challenge all passers-by to wrestling matches and remained invincible as long as he remained in contact with his mother, the Earth. As in Greek wrestling, like its modern equivalent, he typically attempted to force opponents to the ground, and he always won, killing them. He built a temple to his father using the skulls of his defeated opponents. Antaeus fought Hercules as he was on his way to the Garden of Hesperides as his Eleventh Labour. Hercules realised that he could not beat Antaeus by throwing or pinning him. Instead, he held him aloft and then crushed him to death in a bear hug. The scene is famously depicted on a Greek krater dating to the sixth century BC and now in the Louvre, and was a popular subject for Renaissance artists. The episode in which Hercules defeats Antaeus is mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphoses.
