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LOT 0524
Etruscan Globular Pendant with Birds' Heads
CIRCA 8TH-7TH CENTURY B.C.
2 3/4 in. (113 grams total, 69 mm including stand).
Comprising a spherical body with biconvex collar, lateral arms ending in stylised bird-heads, pierced lobe above; mounted on a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. Bietti-Sestieri, A.M. & Macnamara, E., Prehistoric Metal Artefacts from Italy (3500–720 BC) in the British Museum, London, 2008, nos.533-535, for similar.
FootnotesThese globular pendants surmounted by two opposed birds heads belong to the early Iron Age phase of the Etruscan-Villanovan culture. The heads are those of aquatic birds, whose motif is often repeated on the embossed belt-cuirasses decorating the waists of high-status men and women.
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AUCTIONS:
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Greek Terracotta Zebu Statuette
Circa 4th-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £124
Modelled with the head turned to one side, hump behind the shoulders. rounded rump; mounted on a custom-made stand. 145 grams total, 83 mm wide including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Greek Chalcidian Black-Figure Amphora with Heracles and Nemean Lion
Circa 650-575 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £45,500
With two figural scenes: Side A: the first of the canonical labours of Heracles, the fight against the Nemean lion - in the centre the hero standing over the lion, strangling it with his left arm while thrusting his sword into its neck; two other standing figures witness the fight - on the right Athena, fully armed and ready to defend Heracles with her lance, and to the left Hermes, recognisable by his hat (petasos), winged boots and the caduceus; Side B: a nude horseman, holding his lance and accompanied by his dog, walking towards a king seated on his throne, holding a sceptre in his left hand; on the far right, a standing woman, probably the king's wife; a sphinx under the throne and two flying birds; some restoration. 3.1 kg, 43.5 cm
Some restoration, in general in good condition.
Ex German private collection. with Hampel Kunst Auction, Munich, 2012, no.867. Private European collection, thence by family descent. 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.12069-218134.
The shape is typical of the period, and is decorated with black-figured technique, in which the figures were silhouetted in black slip on a reddish clay ground, and linear elements were incised with a needle, with additional details painted with white and cherry red-slip. The amphora seems to belong to one of the sub-types of the ‘Pseudo-Chalcidian’ group (the Poliphemus group), derived from the main Chalcidian series -
Cypriot Terracotta Male Idol
1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
Columnar figure with tall headdress and applied facial features; robe with floor-length sleeves (one partly absent); mounted on a custom-made display stand. 387 grams total, 23.5 cm including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
