Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0086
Greek Chalcidian Black-Figure Amphora with Heracles and Nemean Lion
CIRCA 650-575 B.C.
17 1/8 in. (3.1 kg, 43.5 cm).
With two figural scenes: Side A: the first of the canonical labours of Heracles, the fight against the Nemean lion - in the centre the hero standing over the lion, strangling it with his left arm while thrusting his sword into its neck; two other standing figures witness the fight - on the right Athena, fully armed and ready to defend Heracles with her lance, and to the left Hermes, recognisable by his hat (petasos), winged boots and the caduceus; Side B: a nude horseman, holding his lance and accompanied by his dog, walking towards a king seated on his throne, holding a sceptre in his left hand; on the far right, a standing woman, probably the king's wife; a sphinx under the throne and two flying birds; some restoration.
Provenance
Ex German private collection.
with Hampel Kunst Auction, Munich, 2012, no.867.
Private European collection, thence by family descent.
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.12069-218134.
Literature
Cf. Boardman, J., Early Greek Vase Painting, London, 1998, p.219ff., ill.483-484, p.245 for a comparison; see neck amphora with Heracles killing the Nemean Lion, in the Harvard University, inventory no.1960.312, in Robinson, D. M., ‘Unpublished Greek Vases in the Robinson Collection,’ in American Journal of Archaeology (1956), 60.1, 1-25, p.7-9, no. 8, pl.5; cf. a similar terracotta neck-amphora (jar) attributed to the Polyphemos Group in the Metropolitan Museum, accession no.46.11.5.
Footnotes
The shape is typical of the period, and is decorated with black-figured technique, in which the figures were silhouetted in black slip on a reddish clay ground, and linear elements were incised with a needle, with additional details painted with white and cherry red-slip. The amphora seems to belong to one of the sub-types of the ‘Pseudo-Chalcidian’ group (the Poliphemus group), derived from the main Chalcidian series
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
LOT 0086
Greek Chalcidian Black-Figure Amphora with Heracles and Nemean Lion
Sold for (Inc. bp): £45,500
RELATED LOTS
-
Greek Black-Figure Oinochoe
6th century B.C.Estimate: £1,800 - 2,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
With pinched three-lobe mouth and strap handle; threads and details highlighted in purple; decorated scene in square metope comprising two dancing figures, one male and the other female, probably symposiasts; the male naked, holding a stick in his right hand and with the other arm carrying his coat; the female, a hetaera, dancing and running to the right, wearing a long chiton and a coat. 423 grams, 20.3 cm
Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of Mr S.A., 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 a search certificate number no.12089-218152. -
Greek Brown Ware Terracotta Cup
Circa 5th-3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Squat in profile with rounded underside, broad mouth with carinated rim and single strap handle. 162 grams, 12 cm wide
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. -
Greek Painted Terracotta Rhyton Fragment
Circa 4th-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Finial from a rhyton with stylised zoomorphic detailing: elongated snout, applied lozengiform eyes in lobe protrusions, horns or antlers above; curved conical body with tiered inner face, applied red pigment detailing. 442 grams, 15.5 cm
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
