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LOT 0625
Etruscan Carnelian Scarab of a Charioteer in Gold Ring
3RD CENTURY B.C. AND LATER
1 in. (4.26 grams, 25.07 mm overall, 17.77 x 16.22 mm internal diameter (approximate size British O, USA 7, Europe 14.98, Japan 14)).
Opaque scaraboid engraved with a dynamic scene of a charioteer driving a biga with his whip raised; set in a sheet-gold mount and a later swivel ring; supplied with a museum-quality impression.
ProvenancePrivate English collection, formed between the late 1970s and early 1990s.
Private collection, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12948-245985.
See The British Museum London, accession no.1872,0604.33, for a similar scarab, also retaining its original gold casing.
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LOT 0625
Etruscan Carnelian Scarab of a Charioteer in Gold Ring
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Greek Bronze Bird
Geometric, 8th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £234
Modelled in the round with triangular fantail, lateral bulb eyes, pierced transversely at the chest for attachment. 19.8 grams, 45 mm
Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s. -
Greek Bronze Wine Strainer with Swan-Head Handles
4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5,000
Comprising a shallow bowl and broad flange rim, two integral scalloped handles with lateral scrolled flourishes, each tapering to a S-curved handle with swan-head terminals with incised eye and beak detailing; perforated whirl within roundel to interior base; accompanied by a custom-made display stand with mirror. 402 grams total, 19.7 cm including stand
with Hôtel des ventes de Belfort Sarl, October 2011, no.16. Acquired by the present owner at the above sale. 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.12209-222140.
Elaborate gilded strainers, such as this present example, were used at symposia and festive occasions for the purpose of preventing the dregs of wine from entering the wine cup. This and other related silver utensils became popular in the late 4th and 3rd century B.C. These highly decorated wine strainers were fitted with dual handles forming loops in the shape of twisting animals, here a swan. Usually, they took the form of a shallow dish complete with four rings of perforations in the centre in order to drain the wine. Strainers of this type were used to separate out sediments found in the thick Greek wine. Examples similar to this one have been found in royal tombs in northern Greece, as well as the tomb of a monarch in Sudan. -
Large Greek Bronze Double-Headed Animal Terminal
Geometric, 8th-6th century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Comprising a crescent body with a slender neck at each end, topped by a bird-head with a rectangular crest, vertical legs with raised block detailing conjoined at the lower end into a mounting peg. 55.6 grams, 86 mm
Ex collection Mr K.H., Germany. Private collection, acquired in 2012. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13077-246757.
Bird figures, standing on plates or discs, are found as votives mainly in Northern Greek sanctuaries of the Geometric Age. They should be regarded as symbolic and sometimes modest gifts to the gods. Some birds were also designed as pendants. The present fitting evokes the rooster, but a possible representation of a peacock and its connection with Hera is not to be excluded.
