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LOT 0050
Greek Bronze Figure of a Bound Captive
HELLENISTIC, 2ND CENTURY B.C.
6 5/8 in. (491 grams, 17 cm including stand).
Modelled in the round nude male standing with hands bound behind his back; with short cropped hair and slender figure; left foot absent; mounted on a custom-made stand.
ProvenanceEx S.K. collection.
Acquired on the German art market, July 1995.
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.12518-232076.
Cf. Bienkoski, P., Les Celtes dans les arts mineurs Gréco-Romains, avec des recherches iconographiques sur quelques autres peoples barbares, Cracovie, 1928, figs.11, 87.
FootnotesThe character's hairstyle of the statuette is simple, and his hair is short, not treated with chalk like that of the famous ‘dying Galatian’ from Pergamon. The gaze is fixed on the distance, while the bony, beardless, long-limbed figure conveys the prisoner's energy. The nose here takes on a strong characteristic together with the broad jaw, which is also recognisable in later statuettes of Roman age. These characteristics, combined with those of nudity, allow us to recognise the figure of the prisoner as a Celtic warrior.
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LOT 0050
Greek Bronze Figure of a Bound Captive
Estimate £2,500 - 3,500€2,900 - 4,060 (for guidance only)$3,380 - 4,730 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,250 (EUR 1,450; USD 1,688) ‡+BP*
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Greek Gold Bead Collection
4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
A collection of necklace pendants and dress appliques comprising: a hollow bead with a truncated conical shape, featuring appliques for precious stone inserts; three studs with a hemispherical dome; a pair of appliques decorated with rosette and mask-shaped elements; a pendant in the form of a myrtle berry, and another fragment. 11.19 grams total, 10-31 mm
Acquired by a Swiss family in the mid-1980s to late 1990s, thence by descent. Private collection, Switzerland, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.13023-246772.
The iconography of Hellenistic jewellery often incorporates vegetal motifs, reflecting the Greek value of fertility. With its heavy incorporation of plant motifs, including tendrils, blossoms, and a bursting pomegranate, the diadem design symbolises a woman’s reproductive potential and alludes to the female wearer’s social responsibility to produce offspring. -
'The Mildenberg' Greek Gold Bull's Head Pendant
Circa 4th century B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £2,000
Hollow-formed in sheet gold with finely modelled details and applied granulated wreath between its horns; attachment hole to the rear of the head. 3.05 grams, 21 mm
Christie's, London, 'A Peaceable Kingdom: The Leo Mildenberg Collection', 27 October 2004, no.102. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13359- 259201.
In many Greek sanctuaries, large numbers of bull figures of different sizes have been found, which must be regarded as representatives of actual sacrificial offerings. Many of them come from the venerable Sanctuary of Zeus at Dodona, with whom the bull has a special relationship. -
Minoan Facetted Carnelian Stamp Seal
Circa 20th-15th century B.C.Estimate: £3,500 - 4,500 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £2,500
Four-sided bead with an oval panel on each side: panel 1: reclining feline with frontal head with apotropaic eyes; panel 2: three-leaved plant opposite a goblet(?) with four pellets and two crosses; panel 3: a plant and a big frontal apotropaic eye; panel 4: three segments, a plant, a butterfly or a bird; accompanied by museum-quality impressions. 4.21 grams, 21 mm
From the collection of the late Mr Priday, Hertfordshire, UK, 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.13339-258812.
Four-sided prisms are usually fashioned in jasper, light-coloured chalcedony and lightly banded carnelian. The workmanship is usually excellent. Largely on stylistic grounds, these seals are datable mostly to MMII (c. 2100–1875 B.C.), although they occur both slightly earlier and later.