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LOT 0589
Greek Geometric Bronze Bird
8TH CENTURY B.C.
2 3/8 in. (16.9 grams, 60 mm).
Stylised bird figure perching on a convex panel, shank beneath pierced and lug finial pierced perpendicularly. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired in the 1994.
Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent.
Private collection, since the late 1990s.
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AUCTIONS:
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Greek Head of Alexander The Great
3rd-2nd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720
Modelled in the round with wavy hair brushed forward, large lentoid eyes in low-relief, angular nose and small mouth; attachment lug to underside, rich lead/copper alloy; mounted on a custom-made stand. 142 grams total, 10.2 cm including stand
Collection of Mr C., Geneva, Switzerland (1936-2016), assembled between 1985 and 2010. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12857-241703. -
Italic Banded Agate Scarab with Kneeling Warrior in Gold Mount
3rd century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £11,700
Scarab bezel with carapace detailing and intaglio of a kneeling male nude wearing a helmet, holding a shield, sword and a spear; set into a later gold swivel ring; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 5.24 grams, 25 mm
English private collection. Acquired on the English art market. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13110-248399.
The intaglio can depict Capaneus, a legendary, strong, skilled, but arrogant warrior. He was one of the Seven Against Thebes, who boasted that not even Zeus could stop him from scaling the city walls. However, as he climbed them, Zeus struck him down with a bolt of lightning, illustrating divine punishment for his hubris. Evadne, his wife, then threw herself onto the funerary pyre in her grief. The story of strength but excessive pride was reflected in Dante's Inferno, where Capaneus is in the seventh circle as a condemned blasphemer. -
Greek Bronze Openwork Pendant Collection
Geometric Period, circa 9th-7th century B.C.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
Comprising: eighteen pendants, each with tubular shank and open-ended bulb finial with five lateral vents, some with incised circumferential bands; one similar with dense crosshatching to the shank and bulb, four radiating spurs to the mouth; two larger pendants of similar form, one with six slots to the bulb and the other with seven; all mounted on a felt-backed display board. 2.16 kg total, 43 x 33 cm
A.de Munter collection, Brussels, acquired in the 1970s. with Jürgen Haering, Freiburg. Private collection, Europe, acquired from the above 2018.
These pendants may have been part of horse harness decoration.