Greek Bronze Lionskin Attachment

Featuring a monumental shallow bowl with two strap handles on the rim and a low foot; the inside of the bowl with a central scene featuring a nude winged male figure offering a lekythos to the woman (Psyche?) seated before him; the woman dressed in a chiton and wearing a double-row necklace, large earrings and a diadem indicated by pellets, holding a double branch with leaves in her left hand; a low altar on the foreground and foliate and floral decoration beneath the scene; the scene enclosed within a painted grapevine border; four raised conical bosses on the rim and one on top of each handle; the lower part of the rim decorated with ovules; underside with a band of Greek key motifs and large palmettes on the sides, Side A: mythological scene with a satyr standing on the left, a seated woman at the centre holding a wreath and an open cista, her head turned towards another woman behind her, holding a fan and a ritual object in her hands; Side B: a draped female on the left, holding a stalk and a cista, advancing to the left while gazing back towards an advancing nude winged figure of Eros; restored. 3.1 kg, 49.5 cm wide



Private collection, South of France, acquired in 1999. Accompanied by a printed copy of the Spanish cultural export licence no.1775-3178156. Accompanied by a copy of a thermoluminescence report issued by Alliance Science Art, no.612151. 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 search certificate no.13460-261208.

The intricate designs and stylistic features of this kylix suggest it may belong to the followers of the renowned Darius Painter. The Darius Painter, active in Apulia (modern-day Southern Italy) during the late 4th century B.C., is known for his elaborate and finely detailed red-figure pottery. His works often depict complex mythological scenes and demonstrate a high level of artistic sophistication and technical skill. Key features that align this vessel with the Darius Painter and his workshop include the detailed mythological scene in the central medallion, the refined use of additional white and yellow pigments to highlight key elements, and the balanced composition of figures and decorative motifs. The presence of Eros and other mythological elements is also characteristic of the themes favoured by the Darius Painter.

Group comprising: (a) horizontal oval face with long, straight nose and small ears; back of head flat, very slender neck; (b) pointed top of head, long straight nose, ears positioned low on the head, nose and top of head slightly worn; (c) head with pointed top curving backwards; slender neck and long straight nose, small ears; mounted on custom-made display stand. 79.7 grams total, 76-87 mm including stand



with Gorny & Mosch Auction, Munich, 11 July 2006, nos.612.1, 613.1 & 613.2.

Comprising: two sheet silver phalerae, each with a facing gorgoneion motif and fragments of a third; sheet-silver roundel with a lotiform rosette motif. 14.2 grams total, 31-50 mm



Private collection formed in Europe in the 1980s. Westminster collection, central London, UK

Similar phalerae were manufactured in the Greek workshops of Olbia or the northwestern Black Sea Region, including the Bosphorus and Asia Minor. These pieces were the top decorations of domed phalerae, used by Hellenistic horsemen, Thracians and Sarmatians. They were characterised by a variety of border designs, while, although rare, some of them have the upper part decorated with a frieze of horizontally arranged floral patterns. The image of Gorgon-Medusa is very common.