Loading, please wait...
_900x900.jpg "Etruscan Bronze Handle Pair with Heads of Medusa")
_200x200.jpg "Etruscan Bronze Handle Pair with Heads of Medusa")
.jpg "Etruscan Bronze Handle Pair with Heads of Medusa")
LOT 0061
Etruscan Bronze Handle Pair with Heads of Medusa
6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
4 1/4 in. (683 grams total including stand, handle: 10.9-11 cm wide).
Each formed as a D-shaped fluted bar with the finials formed as grotesque Medusa heads (gorgoneia) in Archaic Greek style with protruding tongue and a pair of bearded snakes framing her forehead; mounted on custom-made display stands. [2]
ProvenanceEx private collection of Athos Moretti, Bellinzona, Switzerland, in the 1960s.
with Christie's, London, 14 June 1978, lot 344.
with Sotheby's, New York, 29 May 1987, lot 154.
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 search certificate number no.11773-204596.
Cf. Torelli, M., Gli Etruschi, Monza, 2000; Cristofani, M., I bronzi degli Etruschi (Etruscan bronzes, in Italian), Novara, 1985; Cateni, G. (ed.), Etruschi di Volterra, capolavori dei grandi musei Europei, Milano, 2007, fig.9, pp.154-155.
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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0061
Etruscan Bronze Handle Pair with Heads of Medusa
Estimate £10,000 - 14,000€11,600 - 16,240 (for guidance only)$13,500 - 18,900 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£5,000 (EUR 5,800; USD 6,750) +BP*
-
Eastern Greek Variegated Agate Gemstone with Lion
6th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Scaraboid type with incuse design to the underside of a lion advancing beneath a star inside a ropework border; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 2.53 grams, 15 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Greek Bronze Horse Head Mount
Circa 4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £80
Modelled in the round with large almond-shaped eyes and pricked ears. 34.8 grams, 38 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Hellenistic Bronze Statuette of an Alexandrian Dancing Dwarf
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
In an active pose with both legs bent and left arm raised dramatically, head tilted to the left; exaggerated facial features, short trimmed hair, slim body with developed pectoral muscles and pronounced kyphosis; mounted on a columnar stand. 295 grams total, 15 cm high imcluding stand
Belgian private art collection of M.A., Brussels, Belgium, 1995. with Gorny and Mosch, 14 December 2011, no.82. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13330-258951.
Such figures are often described as ‘grotesques’, yet typically constituted overstated representations of people with dwarfism. Such individuals are invariably shown with exaggerated features such as pot bellies, hunched backs, bald heads, large phalli and angry facial expressions.
