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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.
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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*
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Greek Bronze Ring with Standing Figure
Circa 3rd-2nd century B.C.Estimate: £30 - 40 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Featuring a slender hoop and a lentoid bezel with a standing figure dressed in a long garment. 1.86 grams, 20.33 mm overall, 17.07 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J, USA 4 3/4, Europe 8.69, Japan 8)
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Greek Miniature Bronze Hydria
Geometric Period, 6th century B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
With a bulbous body, flared foot, lateral loop handles to the shoulder and a strap handle to the rear. 23.5 grams, 37 mm
Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s.
The earliest Archaic Greek bronze hydriai enter the archaeological record in the last quarter of the seventh century. Although the appearance of bronze marks the first significant period of production in the Iron Age, these vessels represent a reawakening of an illustrious tradition dating back at least to the Helladic Bronze Age, if not considerably earlier. -
Greek Lead Slingshot with Inscription
Circa 5th-4th century B.C.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £5
Lozengiform in section and fusiform in plan with the Greek letters 'TO' in low relief. 31.12 grams, 34 mm
Property of a European gentleman, acquired from the estate of a London collector (formed before 2000).