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LOT 0108
Graeco-Persian Gold Ram-Shaped Amulet
3RD-2ND CENTURY B.C.
1 1/8 in. (12.87 grams, 30 mm).
Modelled in the round in the form of a ram lying with its legs folded beneath the body, head turned with hooked horns, collar to the neck with a large pellet pendant; ribbed suspension loop behind the shoulders, mounting lug beneath the trunk.
ProvenancePrivate collection, acquired on the European art market in 2002.
Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, 8 June 2004.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13204-249215.
Cf. a ram bangle from Crimea in Pinckernelle, K., The iconography of Ancient Greek and Roman Jewellery, Glasgow, 2007, fig.12.
FootnotesThe ram, a male symbol, was associated with various divinities. Turned into a ram as a child by Zeus, and a common sacrifice to the god, the ram was a symbol of Dionysus, which he shared with Aphrodite. Ram heads and pendants frequently occur in jewellery. In the animal kingdom, Eros favours the cockerel and the ram, both of which are indicative of sexual potency.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0108
Graeco-Persian Gold Ram-Shaped Amulet
Estimate £15,000 - 20,000€17,400 - 23,200 (for guidance only)$20,250 - 27,000 (for guidance only)
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Greek Silver-Gilt Vase with Winged Putti Picking Grapes
Hellenistic, 2nd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
Piriform in profile with flared foot and carinated ring at the shoulder, everted rim at the mouth; band of punched decoration on the neck with vinescrolls; similar band to the shoulder with bunches of grapes, tendrils and putti. 150 grams, 14.5 cm
Acquired on the US art market, early 1990s. Private collection, North America. Private collection, London, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13244-252968.
There is ample evidence that the princes of the Hellenistic world had a large appetite for expensive tableware. In a procession preceding games organised by the eccentric Antiochos IV Epiphanes (175-163 B.C.) in the Antiochene suburb of Daphne, 1000 silver vessels and 800 gold ones were carried. Kallixeinos of Rhodes reported the combined weight of gold and silver vessels displayed inside the pavilion of Ptolemy II Philadelphos as 10,000 talents, a weight of well over 200 tons. -
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4th century B.C.-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
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Stylised head with large annular eyes and pinched nose, conical headdress with horizontal striations. 17 grams total, 38 mm (60 mm including stand)
Acquired from Ancient Art, London, UK. From the collection of a Nottingham, UK, collector, established from the early 2000s.