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LOT 0068
Etruscan Carnelian Scarab of a Charioteer in Gold Ring
LATE 4TH CENTURY B.C.
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 in globolo style with a dynamic scene of a charioteer driving a biga with his whip raised; set in a later sheet-gold mount and swivel ring, possibly 19th century; 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 retaining its original gold casing.
FootnotesIn line with trends introduced from the Eastern Mediterranean increasing use was made by the Etruscans of war chariots, even more luxurious in appearance and faced with embossed sheets of bronze. In addition to transporting warriors, they proved an effective means of controlling outlying areas, and in case were status symbols of great prestige. The Orientalizing period also saw the importation of swift and nimble breeds that were particularly suited for use as cavalry mounts.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0068
Etruscan Carnelian Scarab of a Charioteer in Gold Ring
Estimate £2,500 - 3,500€2,900 - 4,060 (for guidance only)$3,380 - 4,730 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,250 (EUR 1,450; USD 1,688) +BP*
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Minoan Facetted Carnelian Stamp Seal
Circa 20th-15th century B.C.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,750
Four-sided bead with an oval panel on each side: panel 1: reclining feline with frontal head with apotropaic eyes; panel 2: three-leaved plant opposite a goblet(?) with four pellets and two crosses; panel 3: a plant and a big frontal apotropaic eye; panel 4: three segments, a plant, a butterfly or a bird; accompanied by museum-quality impressions. 4.21 grams, 21 mm
From the collection of the late Mr Priday, Hertfordshire, UK, thence by descent. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13339-258812.
Four-sided prisms are usually fashioned in jasper, light-coloured chalcedony and lightly banded carnelian. The workmanship is usually excellent. Largely on stylistic grounds, these seals are datable mostly to MMII (c. 2100–1875 B.C.), although they occur both slightly earlier and later. -
Greek Bronze Hercules and Antaeus Statue Group
Hellenistic, 3rd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £10,000 - 14,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £4,900
Dynamic scene of two nude wrestlers, the giant Antaeus and Hercules, Hercules lifting Antaeus off the ground with his arms, while Antaeus is trying to pry his arms open to regain his contact with Mother Earth that would restore his strength; set on a custom-made display stand. 1.01 kg total, 20.3 cm high including stand
Mallams Oxford. From a UK private collection since the 1970s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13333-258242.
Here, the giant Antaeus is depicted with the more common dimensions of the hero, Hercules. Antaeus was a giant, the son of Neptune and Gaia. Antaeus would challenge all passers-by to wrestling matches and remained invincible as long as he remained in contact with his mother, the earth. As Greek wrestling, like its modern equivalent, typically attempted to force opponents to the ground, he always won, killing his opponents. He built a temple to his father using the skulls of his defeated opponents. Antaeus fought Hercules as he was on his way to the Garden of Hesperides as his Eleventh Labour. Hercules realised that he could not beat Antaeus by throwing or pinning him. Instead, he held him aloft and then crushed him to death in a bear hug. The scene is famously depicted on a Greek krater dating to the sixth century BC and now in the Louvre, and was a popular subject for Renaissance artists. The episode of Hercules defeating Antaeus is mentioned in the Metamorphoses by Ovid. -
Greek Bronze Ring with Centaur
3rd-2nd century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
With a slender hoop and an oval bezel with a galloping centaur facing back with his arms raised. 3.40 grams, 22.48 mm overall, 18.34 mm internal diameter (approximate size British Q, USA 8, Europe 17.49, Japan 16)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
