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LOT 0532
Greek Bronze Ring with Bird
3RD-2ND CENTURY B.C.
7/8 in. (1.71 grams, 21.43 mm overall, 19.29 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P 1/2, USA 7 3/4, Europe 16.86, Japan 16)).
Comprising a slender hoop and an oval hoop with a large advancing bird. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a UK collection formed in the 1980s.
Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman.
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AUCTIONS:
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Parthian Terracotta Horse and Warrior Rider
2nd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Formed as a horse with a tall neck and splayed legs, a bearded rider figure to the rear; a marriage. 95 grams, 10.7 cm
From the collection of a Cambridge, UK, gentleman, by direct descent from his father, who acquired the items in London in circa 1960. -
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Etruscan Amber Head Pendant
Etruria, 5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,210
Carved from translucent red-brown amber as a profile head with stylised Archaic features, large almond eye beneath a defined brow ridge, a softly smiling mouth, and carefully delineated hair arranged in striated bands sweeping back from the face; a drilled perforation at the crown indicates its original function as a suspended ornament; accompanied by a display stand. 23 grams, 50 mm (242 grams total, 81 mm including stand)
Sotheby's, London, 14-15 December 1981, no.206. American private collection; acquired at the above sale. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13329-257968.
Amber was a prestigious imported material in Etruria, highly prized for its rarity, colour, and perceived apotropaic power. From the late 6th century B.C. onwards, figured amber pendants appear in elite tombs, particularly those of women, reflecting both personal identity and a protective role within funerary belief systems. The prominent, wide-open eye here may have served as a talismanic motif, thought to ward off malign forces and ensure the wearer’s vigilance and well-being in life and beyond the grave. This piece reflects the distinctive aesthetic of Etruscan amber carving, in which Mediterranean influences are reinterpreted with a locally expressive sculptural style. -
Large Greek Bronze Double-Headed Animal Terminal
Geometric, 8th-6th century B.C.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
Comprising a crescentic body with a slender neck at each end, topped by a bird-head with a rectangular crest, vertical legs with raised block detailing conjoined at the lower end into a mounting peg. 55.6 grams, 86 mm
Ex collection Mr K.H., Germany. Private collection, acquired in 2012. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13077-246757.
Bird figures, standing on plates or discs, are found as votives mainly in Northern Greek sanctuaries of the Geometric Age. They should be regarded as symbolic and sometimes modest gifts to the gods. Some birds were also designed as pendants. The present fitting resembles a rooster, but it could also represent a peacock, and hence is connected with the goddess Hera.
