Loading, please wait...
LOT 0519
Greek Corinthian Ceramic Alabastron with Geometric Design
CIRCA 6TH CENTURY B.C.
3 in. (36 grams total, 77 mm high including stand).
The piriform bottle with broad everted rim and strap handle, polychrome painted dashes and concentric bands to the upper body and rim; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1980s-1990s.
From the H.N. collection, Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, UK.
Cf. a similar Etrusco-Corinthian alabastron in Princeton University Art Museum, inv. no.y1959-23.
FootnotesThe alabastron takes its name from the material (alabaster) from which it was originally produced by the people who inhabited Mediterranean Africa from where it spread in the classical world. From an archaeological point of view, our specimen belongs to the first type of alabastrons, a conventional form of Corinthian origin, widespread throughout Greece from the second half of the 7th century BC. to the mid-6th century B.C., characterised by an elongated body with a maximum diameter towards the base, and continuous profile. It seems to be an Etrusco-Corinthian variant.
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:
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 0519
Greek Corinthian Ceramic Alabastron with Geometric Design
Sold for (Inc. bp): £221
-
Etruscan Bronze Handle Pair with Heads of Medusa
6th-5th century B.C.Estimate: £8,000 - 10,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £4,444
Each formed as a D-shaped fluted bar with the finials formed as grotesque Medusa heads in Archaic Greek style with protruding tongue and a pair of bearded snakes framing her forehead; mounted on custom-made display stands. 695 grams total, 11 cm wide each
Ex private collection of Athos Moretti, Bellinzona, Switzerland, in the 1960s. with Christies, London, 14 June 1978, lot 344. with Sotheby's, New York, 29 May 1987, lot 154. 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.11773-204596.
The handles were possibly once part of a hydria or a stamnos. The workmanship of the nose and eyes of the Medusa recall the head of a gorgoneion from a chariot or cart fragment, today at the Metropolitan Museum (inventory no.29.131.3d1–d3). -
Greek Geometric Period Bow Fibula
8th-7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Central bulb to the keeled bow, integral pin and large catch-plate. 42 grams, 95 mm
From the family collection of a Surrey gentleman since before 1960.
The function of the catch-plate fibulae was utilitarian and decorative, they were used for woollen clothing (Herodotus V, 87) and they have been found in houses, tombs and as votive offerings in sanctuaries. This typology was introduced in South Italy by the Greeks, and was widespread in the Magna Graecia. Like all female fibulae, it functioned as a clothing fastener, usually worn as a pair on each shoulder. -
South Italian Terracotta Painted Jug
4th-2nd century B.C.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
Piriform with convex rim, lentoid-section handle and discoid foot; polychrome painted bands and lines decorating the equator and inner mouth, dash to handle. 227 grams, 13.5 cm high
Acquired in Europe before 1994.