Loading, please wait...
LOT 0100
Etruscan Carnelian Scarab with Hercules at a Fountain in Gold Ring
3RD CENTURY B.C.
7/8 in. (5.73 grams, 22.52 mm overall, 18.68 x 16.58 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P, USA 7 1/2, Europe 16.23, Japan 15)).
Hoop made from D-section wire with coils to the shoulders, scarab bezel with carapace detailing and intaglio of a standing nude figure of Hercules holding a club and amphora at a stream, enclosed by a roped border.
ProvenanceAcquired on the UK art market.
Private collection, England.
See for comparison, Boardman, J. and Vollenweider, M-L., Catalogue of the Engraved Gems and Finger Rings, I: Greek and Etruscan, Oxford, 1978, items 220 and 228; Boardman, J., Intaglios and Rings. Greek, Etruscan and Eastern from a Private Collection, London, 1975, no.150; Pannuti, U., Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. La collezione glittica, p.53, item 32; Cristofani, M. and Martelli, M. (eds.), L'oro degli Etruschi, Novara, 1983, p.240, no.270, for the mounting.
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 0100
Etruscan Carnelian Scarab with Hercules at a Fountain in Gold Ring
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
-
Etruscan Bronze Statuette of a Draped Hero
4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £18,000 - 24,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £9,500
Modelled in the round, standing erect with right hand on his hip and left arm extending from the elbow resting on the left hip and with fingers curled to hold a staff or handle, wearing a loosely draped cloth over the left shoulder and drawn around the body to hang over the arms; ribbed cuffs to the boots; youthful face with tousled hair and slightly exaggerated lentoid eyes; C-shaped staple beneath the feet for attachment; supplied with a custom-made display stand. 506 grams total, 18.7 cm including stand
with Sotheby’s, Antiquities, London, 6 July 1995, no.130. Acquired by the present owner at the above sale. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12194-222321.
The statue was probably a cult offering and presents an archaic Etruscan hairstyle; it is likely to have been produced as a votive offering or for private lararia. His warrior status can be confirmed by his boots, typical of archaic-era Etruscan and Latin warriors. -
Large Greek Red-Figure Amphora with Lady of Fashion
Apulian, 3rd-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,900
The conical mouth with laurel-leaf motif, palmettes below; lateral strap handles to the shoulder and palmette below each; Side A: profile bust of a lady of fashion with her hair in a chignon covered by a sakkos; Side B: similar design. 2.48 kg, 46.5 cm high
Acquired on the art market between the late 1990s and mid-2000s. Estate of the late Barry Paul Buxton (1944-2024), Oakham, Rutland. Acquired on the UK art market, 2025. Accompanied by a thermoluminescence analysis report no.N126a17 from Oxford Authentication. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13076-248950.
The pattern-work and the female head seem to connect the vase more closely with the Monopoli Group. The corkscrew curls on the hair over the ear and the sakkos with a bow at the top are, in fact, typical of the heads of this group. -
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.
