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LOT 0093
Greek Black-Figure Miniature Amphora with Swan
ATTIC, 6TH-5TH CENTURY B.C.
3 in. (57.1 grams, 76 mm).
With two handles and an everted rim; parallel, vertical strokes on the neck and below a swan with its wings open and neck elegantly curved, a staff on the background.
ProvenanceSwiss private collection, assembled in the 1960s and 1970s.
Acquired by the present owner in 2004.
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.13019-246754.
Cf. Barfoed, S., Cult in Context, The Ritual Significance of miniature pottery in ancient Greek Sanctuaries from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Period, II Volumes, Department of Classical and Archaeological Studies, Kent University, 2015, fig.39, for a votive black-figured miniature red vessel.
FootnotesThe swan was a favoured motif in Greek art, admired for its elegance and associations with divinity and beauty. In mythology, the bird was sacred to Apollo, god of music and light, whose chariot was said to be drawn by swans on his annual journey to the land of the Hyperboreans. It was likewise linked to Aphrodite, symbolising love and sensuality, and appears in scenes celebrating harmony and the ideal of beauty. The swan also featured prominently in the myth of Leda and the Swan, in which Zeus, transformed into the bird, inspired numerous representations across Greek art.
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LOT 0093
Greek Black-Figure Miniature Amphora with Swan
Estimate £4,000 - 6,000€4,640 - 6,960 (for guidance only)$5,400 - 8,100 (for guidance only)
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Greek Painted Pottery Aryballos
Corinthian, circa 6th century B.C.Estimate: £300 - 400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £150
With a narrow neck and a broad rim to the mouth, a short strap handle to the rear; painted concentric rings around the mouth. 212 grams, 75 mm
Private collection, acquired in 1994; thence by descent.
From the 8th century B.C., Corinthian pottery vessels were exported to Greek colonies in South Italy and the coast of Asia Minor. They were used to hold perfumed oil, an essential item for the wealthy middle classes of the time. In Italy, especially in Etruria, local workshops produced imitations of Corinthian vessel types for a clientele of Greek settlers and local populations with a taste for Greek fashions. -
Etruscan Bronze Votive Figure of Genius Sacrificulus
6th-5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,560
Depicting a ‘genius’ making a sacrifice, his head surrounded by a radiate crown or a wreath of laurel leaves arranged in rays; bare-chested with a cloak (tebenna) falling over his left shoulder, covering his back and resting on his left arm, enveloping his legs to below the knee; holding a patera in his right hand and an acerra in his left; accompanied by a display stand. 189 grams, 12.1 cm (367 grams total, 13.4 cm high including)
Anne Betgoner, Paris, by descent. French private collection, acquired in the early 20th century. Acquired from the above by the present owner. Private collection, UK. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13235-251199.
The figure represents a genius dressed as a priest according to the Etruscan tradition. He is celebrating a sacrifice by offering to the gods with a patera of precious liquids and perfumes, kept in the acerra or pyxis. Acerra was the name given to the casket in which the incense intended for sacrifices was placed (arcula turalis). A servant carried it to the altar, and the granules from the casket were scattered on the flames (acerra libare). -
Phoenicio-Punic Terracotta Mortarium
Circa 100 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Comprising a wide, shallow body and a shallow rim, a curved flange below the rim, and spiral decoration on the inside. 620 grams, 21 cm
From the private collection of Mr Brian Edwards, New Malden, Surrey, UK, formed from the late 1970s-early 1980s; thence by descent. Accompanied by the original collector's data sheet with reference no.A84.
