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LOT 0110
Etruscan Bronze Mirror Depicting Two Male Figures
LATE 4TH-3RD CENTURY B.C.
8 7/8 in. (260 grams, 22.5 cm).
Discoid mirror with a short tang to accept an organic handle, the reverse with a palmette above the handle; the obverse with two figures seated on rocks and facing each other, to the right: Turms (Hermes) wearing a winged cap, and a young man on the left, both wearing cloaks draped over their backs, with folds visible over their shoulders and fastened at the neck; Turms depicted making an expressive gesture with his right hand while his companion listens attentively, looking toward Hermes and resting his left hand on his knee; a palmette below at the centre of the scene, two laurel branches extending upwards to form a framing arch around the composition, ending at the top in a geometric ornament.
ProvenancePrivate collection, Zurich, Switzerland.
Accompanied by a copy of a report by the late Han Jucker (1918-1984), 1 February 1982.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12668-236379.
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.
Cf. Gerhard-Korte, ES, Vol. I & V (passim) D. Arbia, Le miroir étrusque d'après la collection du Cabinet des Médailles, 1974, pp. 27ff., 43, 89 et seq. H. Fischer-Hansen, Spiegelwerkstätten in Vulci, 1980, Taf. 11 V 27, 12 V 29, 28 V 73 (Turms on the right with Herakles, among others).
FootnotesHans Jucker (1918-1984) was a distinguished Swiss art historian and classical archaeologist, renowned for his expertise in Greek and Roman art. He was particularly recognised for his scholarly contributions to the study of ancient sculpture and iconography. Jucker served as a curator and later director at the Bernisches Historisches Museum in Switzerland, where he was instrumental in expanding and refining the museum’s collection of classical antiquities. His research and publications, marked by precision and clarity, helped shape modern understanding of Roman portraiture and the visual language of the ancient world. Through both his academic work and curatorial leadership, Jucker earned a lasting reputation as one of Switzerland’s foremost authorities on classical art.
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Greek Attic Red-Figure Kylix with Dancing Nymphs and Satyrs
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With short stem and broad bowl with carination at the shoulder; two strap handles with an ivy-leaf with tendrils and volutes underneath; the underside of the bowl with a frieze of four satyrs and four maenads performing a dance, the maenads dressed in fancy Ionian dress, long peplos and himation, and a kekrykephalos (hair net) on their heads, and holding a thyrsus in their right hands; the centre of the cup showing dancing Silenus and a nymph, dressed in a similar manner and holding a thyrsus, border of meanders and chequered squares surrounding; restored. 875 grams, 37 cm wide
Ex Dr Gonik and the late Mr Wirth, 1960-1970s. Private collection, Switzerland. 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.12573-232109. 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.
Silenus, the only individualised satyr, was a companion and tutor to the wine god Dionysus, and he is represented here in the place of honour. He is typically older than the satyrs of the Dionysian retinue (thiasos) and his representation on the tondo symbolises respect towards his senior position.
