Loading, please wait...
LOT 0083
Graeco-Roman Bronze Harpocrates Figure
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
4 7/8 in. (283 grams total, 12.4 cm including stand).
Standing nude and supporting a rearing uraeus on his left arm, remains of his side-lock on the right shoulder; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Elsa Blohsh-Diener collection, Bern, Switzerland.
Property of a French collector.
Cf. more elaborate version of a similar figure in the British Museum under accession no.1825,1112.1.; cf. Reinach, S., Répertoire de la statuaire Grecque et Romaine, Paris, 1897, p.481, nos.8-9.
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.
-
Cypriot Painted Terracotta Storage Vessel
Circa 7th-5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
With broad bulbous body and high flared neck, painted horizontal bands of geometric ornament. 894 grams, 17 cm wide
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Etruscan Terracotta Satyr Antefix
4th century B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,500
D-shaped in profile with high-relief mask of a satyr within a looped frame; hanks of curling hair to the brow and temples with berries to the fillet, lentoid eyes, broad nose, curling moustache and beard; ledge below and arched ridge to the reverse; mounted on a custom-made stand. 6.77 kg total, 30 cm including stand
Acquired from Faustus Ancient Art Ltd, London, 1990. Private American collection. with Christie’s, London, 27 October 2009, no 9. Accompanied by copies of the relevant Christie's catalogue pages. 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.12062-217441.
The antefix belongs to the typical decorative scheme of alternating maenad and satyr head antefixes that were mainly produced in Cerveteri. Heads were often placed in temples and displayed identifying features such as wavy hair and large, almond-shaped lidded eyes, and were lavishly painted. These typologies of antefixes generally look quite similar and appear to have identical colour schemes with dark red skin, and with darker shade of red applied to the hair below the ears and on top of the head and inside the ears. -
Cypriot Decorated Bowl with Stamped Characters to Reverse
Roman Period, 2nd century B.C.-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £195
A wide bowl with carinated lip and lateral lug handle on a flat base; decorated on both sides with umber pigment on a white slip; to the outer face, a snake and band motif; to the inner face, multiple bands of crescentic, triangular net and zig-zag motifs; to the underside, low-relief inscription (partly legible). 535 grams, 23.5 cm
Tackey Crist, Cyprus Museum collection, NC, USA. Ex Leland Little auctions. with Cyprus Museum of Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA.
The piece is reminiscent of earlier white-painted wares of the middle-late Cypriot period. Although wheel-made white-painted ware is known from as far back as the Late Cypriot period (1300-1200 B.C.), the present piece must date to the Roman occupation of the island (from approximately the 2nd century B.C. onwards) because of the reserved (not impressed) Latin characters extant on the underside. The characters appear to have been applied to the clay whilst the vessel was wet. The inscription is impossible to decipher fully but contains the characters ... IN... ..AN.... ...DE M..... The use of 'D rather than Greek delta 'Δ' implies a Latin text.