Etruscan Bronze Figure of a Man

Group of three burnished redware jugs, two smaller examples with loop handle to the neck, larger with handle to the shoulder; all with incised linear ornament. 1.06 kg total, 14-21 cm



From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.

Of reserved slip ware, comprising a shallow bowl with indented base, single loop handle; black glaze inside, red-brown colour outside; some restoration. 173 grams, 14.9 cm wide

Some restoration.

Ex Peter Negus collection (1920-2012). Acquired from Bonhams, London, 26 October 2007, no.354 (part). From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. Accompanied by the original Bonhams lot tag and a much older tag with description and collection number DAA41.

The vessel belongs to a rare form of polished ware which originally was intended to achieve a two-tone effect. In the reserved slip ware, parts of the red slip was wiped away while it was still wet, revealing patches of the pale under surface. After this the whole surface was polished and the final result was a 'trick' decoration in which the negative patches appear to be positive pattern on the dark red surface.

A silver and copper-alloy medical instrument, oval in shape, the handle formed as a snake with shallow hatched pattern on the body representing scales, stylised rendering of the snake's head. 68 grams, 25 cm long

Fair condition.

Acquired mid 1980s to early 1990s. Private family collection formed in London, UK. Accompanied by a metal test assessment number 182971/HM1456 from an Oxford specialist.

The use of this spatula (probe) for medical assessment can be confirmed by its snake-shaped handle, evidently a reference to the god Asklepios, whose symbol was a staff with a serpent wrapped around it. Such implements, called 'ἀπυρομήλη', were used in the Graeco-Persian world. The survival of the handle in this example makes it a rare find.