Greek Carnelian Onyx Gemstone with Horseman

Scaraboid type with incuse design to the underside of two opposed dancing satyrs, heads and arms missing, possibly unfinished or cut down from a depiction of a lion and hero; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 2.75 grams, 17 mm



From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.

Comprising four head fragments, one fragment of the upper torso of a male, and a bird fragment. 116 grams total, 37-72 mm



From the collection of a Cambridge, UK, gentleman, by direct descent from his father, who acquired the items in London in circa 1960.

Comprising a circular body with a rounded base and two strap handles, a short neck with an everted rim; the body with a painted expanding cross motif with the arms separated by a band of pellets. 132 grams, 11.1 cm



Private collection, Switzerland, acquired in the 1994. Private family collection since the late 1990s. 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 number no.13018-246795.

Mycenaean ceramics were influenced by Minoan shapes and decorative styles from the late Middle Helladic period. This close relationship – likely accompanied by the development of shared cultural practices and etiquette – creates the hypothesis that pilgrim flasks were introduced to Greece via Crete. Pilgrim flasks were produced in Mycenaean contexts from the Late Helladic IIA:1 period (1420-1390 B.C.).