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LOT 0557
Greek Bronze Swan-Headed Wine Strainer
5TH CENTURY B.C.
10 3/4 in. (159 grams, 27.4 cm).
Cup-shaped body with flared and curved rim, flat-section handle with swan-head finial; the body with pierced rosette pattern.
ProvenanceAcquired in the mid 1980s-1990s.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12233-222331.
Cf. similar item in the British Museum, London, under accession no.1878,1012.24, excavated in Galaxidi.
FootnotesThe Agora excavations in Athens have yielded a large number of funnels, Hellenistic and Roman, which tend to be of a basically similar type, though of course with variations. Perhaps the most important feature of all these funnels is that they were made for use and not for show. The bronze specimen found in Galaxidi is very similar to our strainer.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0557
Greek Bronze Swan-Headed Wine Strainer
Estimate £2,500 - 3,500€2,900 - 4,060 (for guidance only)$3,380 - 4,730 (for guidance only)
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Greek Bronze Figure of a Bound Captive
Hellenistic, 2nd century B.C.Estimate: £3,000 - 4,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,667
Modelled in the round nude male standing with hands bound behind his back; with short cropped hair and slender figure; left foot absent; mounted on a custom-made stand. 491 grams, 17 cm including stand
Ex S.K. collection. Acquired on the German art market, July 1995. 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.12518-232076.
The character's hairstyle of the statuette is simple, and his hair is short, not treated with chalk like that of the famous ‘dying Galatian’ from Pergamon. The gaze is fixed in the distance, while the bony, beardless and long-limbed figure expresses the prisoner's energy. The nose here takes on a strong characteristic together with the broad jaw, which is also recognizable in later statuettes of Roman age. These characteristics, combined with those of nudity, allow us to recognize the figure of the prisoner as a Celtic warrior. warrior. -
Greek Black-Figure Alabastron with Fish Scale Pattern, Possibly Attributed to the Bulas Group
Attic, early 4th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
Ovoid shape with short neck and expanded flat rim; painted with horizontal bands with vertical strokes on the shoulder, fish-scale pattern below and running scrolled tendrils; horizontal stripes below. 87 grams, 13 cm
partially repainted
Collection of M. Bouvier, Switzerland (1901-1980), Switzerland. Bouvier was a law professor in Alexandria prior to 1930. with Christie's, London, 7 October 2010, no.117. Private collection, 2010. Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.N125q42 by Oxford Authentication. Accompanied by copies of the 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.13008-246447.
The alabastra of the Bulas Group display scale-like patterns. They were painted with slip, a liquid clay which vitrifies when fired. This group is usually dated to the late 5th – early 4th century B.C. It was named after Kazimierz Bulas, who was the first to study them in depth in the 1930s. He characterised various shapes according to their decorative techniques (nets and floral patterns) and their functions. -
Large Greek Bronze Double-Headed Animal Terminal
Geometric, 8th-6th century B.C.Estimate: £1,500 - 2,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £750
Comprising a crescent 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 evokes the rooster, but a possible representation of a peacock and its connection with Hera is not to be excluded.