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LOT 0052
Greek Bronze Statuette of an Alexandrian Dancing Dwarf
HELLENISTIC, 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.
5 7/8 in. (295 grams total, 15 cm high imcluding stand).
In an active pose with both legs bent and left arm raised dramatically, head tilted to the left; exaggerated facial features, short trimmed hair, slim body with developed pectoral muscles and pronounced kyphosis; mounted on a columnar stand.
ProvenanceBelgian private art collection of M.A., Brussels, Belgium, 1995.
with Gorny and Mosch, 14 December 2011, no.82.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13330-258951.
Cf. bronze figure of a dwarfd dancing in the British Museum under accession no. 1875,0517.103; cf. also Bolla, M., ‘Nani e pigmei nella piccola plastica in bronzo dell’Italia Settentrionale’ in Leger, C., Raux, S., Des objects et des hommes, Ėtudes offertes a Michel Feugère, Drémil-Lafage, 2021, pp.163-171, fig.4, for the image of a dancing dwarf.
FootnotesSuch figures are often described as ‘grotesques’, yet typically constituted overstated representations of people with dwarfism. Such individuals are invariably shown with exaggerated features such as pot bellies, hunched backs, bald heads, large phalli and angry facial expressions.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0052
Greek Bronze Statuette of an Alexandrian Dancing Dwarf
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Large Greek Terracotta Figure of a Kore
6th century B.C.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,222
Hollow-formed with scaphoid headdress, long hair hanging behind the shoulders, heavy peplos dress extending to the floor with splayed hem and feet visible beneath; left hand held straight at the thigh, right hand in a fist between the breasts; mounted on a custom-made stand. 6.7 kg total, 57 cm including stand
Swiss private collection, assembled in the 1970s-1980s. with Galerie Serodine, Ascona, Switzerland, 1993. Collection of Dr E.N., Zug, acquired in 1995. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12858-241755.
One of the most typical 6th-century B.C. terracotta female figurines was that of a standing or seated woman wearing a chiton tunic and a himation over it. It was a votive figure offered to the shrines or temples, usually representing the goddess Demeter. The headgear, polos, was an element usually identifying the goddess Demeter or her daughter Persephone. Attica was one of the principal centres of figurine production, but Corinth continued to produce solid standing or seated females with moulded fronts and flat backs. -
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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. -
Greek Geometric Votive Gift in the Form of a Bird
8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Comprising a columnar neck with pinched detailing to the head and spatulate tail, discoid plate below. 8.47 grams, 46 mm
Acquired from a London auction house, circa 2001. Property of a Swiss gentleman.
