Greek Gold Amuletic Bird

An expressive polychrome vase formed as the head of an actor wearing rosette earrings, open mouth and applied pupils, short neck with everted rim above and a small strap handle to the rear. 69.3 grams, 75 mm



Ex Louis-Gabriel Bellon, France, (1819-1899). with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12667-236389.

In Greek theatre, actors wore masks made from materials like linen and leather, which amplified expressions and helped actors take on multiple roles within a single play. Aristotle, in his Poetics, highlighted the importance of masks in conveying emotion and character, especially in large outdoor theatres. This terracotta, representing the satirical mask of a woman, with its lively and expressive features, would have brought both humour and recognisable character traits to the stage, engaging audiences with the playful spirit of Greek comedy.

Cylindrical with stepped foot, five palmettes above the shoulder, dynamic frieze of two men visiting two hetairai, each of the figures dressed in long pleated garments, at the centre of the scene, a hetaira on the right reaching towards the bearded male and gently touching his chin with her open hand, a tall draped table behind her with an amphora underneath and a standing bird on the top. 459 grams, 26.4 cm



H.A.C. (Herbert A. Cahn), 19 October 1979. Private collection, Bern, Switzerland. Accompanied by an original thermoluminescence analysis report no.N125q45 by Oxford Authentication. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12644-236376.

The Athena Painter is known as the painter who designed several Greek black-figure pottery works using the 5th-century BC white-ground technique. He specialised in lekythoi and refers to Athena as the main subject in his works. Together with the Theseus Painter, they continued the tradition of painting large lekythoi. His black figures are of high quality, and in addition to lekythoi, he decorated other potteries such as oenochoai. Some archaeologists say that he may have been the same person as the Bowdoin Painter of red-figure pottery, although they may have just worked in the same workshop.

Discoid and convex with concentric rings to the upper face, knop handle with central recess. 34.6 grams, 77 mm



From the private collection of Mr Brian Edwards, New Malden, Surrey, UK, formed from the late 1970s-early 1980s; thence by descent.