Greek Bronze Seal Ring with Lion

Sturdy round-section shank with image of a siren developing from a palmette finial; mounted on a custom-made stand. 376 grams, 14.5 cm (499 grams total, 17 cm high including stand)



From the USA art market. Ex Gorny & Mosch, 16 December 2008, no.24. Ex Keane collection, Kent, UK. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Gorny & Mosch catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12649-235138. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Decorated with a meander with saltire squares below the figural scenes, and a laurel below the rim; Side A: a nude gesticulating satyr with short curly hair and long beard, running to the right with his left leg raised and his arms outstretched, characteristic pointed ears and pug nose, towards a maenad moving right and looking back at him, her hair short and curly, her body draped in a chiton, with another maenad standing behind him, facing left, draped in a himation over a chiton; Side B: three youths in draped cloaks with hoods thrown back; professionally restored. 2.1 kg, 29 cm wide

Fine condition, professionally restored.

Belgian private collection, 1950s. with Christie's, New York, 4 June 2008, no.190. Private central European collection. Accompanied by a copy 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.12067-218141. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The style allows us to attribute this vase to an unknown artist of Lucanian origin: it is in ancient Lucania (a region which is located between present-day Calabria and Basilicata, in Southern Italy and between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea, with Metaponto as a well-known city) that the first Italic style of red-figure painting developed.

Each a hollow-formed crescent with applied filigree borders, band of hollow-formed knops to the outer edge and piriform panel at each end with granulated border and inset garnet cabochon; below, a banded agate sphere with framing dentilled granulated collars, cluster of hollow bulbs with flanking cabochon garnets. 34.2 grams total, 56-60 mm



Property of a London, UK, gentleman, pre-1990. Ex London, UK, gallery. 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.11185-186691. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The boat-shaped central body is typical of old style Greek earrings connected with clusters of globe and is visible in the early Hellenistic jewellery from Taranto (Williams & Ogden, 1994, p.213), but the abundant use of filigree fits with examples from the Eastern Mediterranean area (Williams & Ogden, 1994, p.243).