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LOT 0072
Greek Bronze Snake Biting a Cicada Mount Fragment
CIRCA 5TH CENTURY B.C.
1 3/4 in. (46.15 grams, 43 mm).
D-section insect body with lateral splayed wings, merging with the head of a serpent with scale detailing. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the collection of an London antiquarian, 1980s.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Scythian Bronze Antelope Mount
Circa 4th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Openwork with mounting lug to the reverse; animal in active pose with S-curved tail. 50 grams, 60 mm
Acquired 1980-2015. Ex Abelita family collection. -
Parthian Glazed Ceramic Jug
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £150 - 200 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £80
Speckled glaze; deep shoulder with chamfered rim and strap handle. 776 grams, 16.5 cm high
Acquired by the vendor's father on the UK art market, before 1990. -
Greek Campanian Black-Glazed Kernos
Late 4th century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £800
Comprising a round pedestal supporting four small offering pots, interspersed with four female face protomes; looped handle to the centre with parallel strokes in low-relief. 623 grams, 16 cm high
From the West German collection of H.W. Acquired from the De Mynter, Belgium, in 2011. with Gorny and Mosch, Munich, 3 June 2017, no.52. Private Portuguese R.M. collection. Accompanied by a previous catalogue information slip.
The kernos can be recognised by a series of small cups on the lip, with examples dating back to the Bronze Age. It was used to store offerings made to the gods, specifically in cults pertaining to Demeter and Persephone. The receptacles probably contained foodstuffs, or perhaps flowers, and a lamp was sometimes placed in the centre. Kernoses, such as this, were often carried in processions at the Eleusinian Mysteries (secret initiation rites celebrating the goddesses Demeter and Persephone) and were an important object for Greek religious life. Kernoses are thus closely related to the agrarian cult and to the myth of Persephone and Demeter, the goddess of fertility and agriculture. The myth is recounted on an Homeric Hymn (c. 650 B.C.) according to which Persephone, Demeter’s daughter, was seized by Hades, the king of the underworld, who brought her to his kingdom to make her his wife. Distraught, Demeter caused a terrible drought, which continued until Persephone returned to her mother from the underworld. Having consumed pomegranate seeds whilst she was in the Underworld, she was only able to be with her for a few months of the year.
