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LOT 0100
Etruscan Votive Bronze Hand
CIRCA 7TH-6TH CENTURY B.C.
4 5/8 in. (187 grams total, 11.8 cm high including stand).
Modelled in the half-round with D-section fingers, portion of cuff behind the thumb; mounted on a custom-made display stand.
ProvenanceAcquired on the German art market, before 1992; 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.13191-249245.
Cf. a similar votive hand in Christie's, Antiquities: Including Ancient Engraved Gems. Formerly in the G.Sangiorgi Collection Part IV, London, 2022, 7th December, lot.33.
FootnotesVotive offerings gained increasing popularity throughout Etruria, southern Latium and later northern Campania from the 7th century B.C. onwards. Most gods were thought to possess the power to heal, and the sick flocked to their sanctuaries for a cure or to pray for future health. Usually, these dedications depicted the parts of the human anatomy that needed healing. The area of Vulci offered many graves in which pairs of hands cut from a sheet of bronze, rolled up at the base to form the wrist, have been found.
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:
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From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.