Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0083
Greek Gold Figure of Nike from a Monumental Funerary Wreath
SOUTH ITALIAN, 4TH CENTURY B.C.
3 5/8 in. (56 grams total, 92 mm including stand).
Formed as a composite figurine comprising: hollow-formed nude female figure with left arm extended to her side and fingers curled inwards, right hand at her side, hair drawn up in a chignon surmounted by an applied beaded-wire diadem; two sub-triangular wings each attached to the shoulder blades, with repoussé feather detailing to the obverse; broad D-shaped panel attached to the waist and rear of the legs, with radiating arch detailing; supplied with a custom-made display stand.
Provenance
Focquaert collection, Belgium, 1970s.
European private collection.
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.12220-222337.
Literature
See a similar gold wreath from Armento (South Italy) surmounted by a similar winged Nike, today at the Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek, München, NI 2335 WAF, in Knauß, F.S., ‘Anton Prokesh von Osten und Ludwig I. von Bayern,’ in Knauss, F. (ed.), Anton Prokesch von Osten. Sammler, Gelehrter und Vermittler zwischen den Kulturen, Graz, 2019, pp.26-38, fig.6.
Footnotes
Similar statuettes were surmounting huge funerary wreaths, like the one from Armento (325-300 B.C. made in Southern Italy). The wreaths, composed of golden flowers, leaves, fruits, bees and Erotes, have a winged goddess, with all probability Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, as the central motif. It is possible that the wreath was given to the deceased as a prize after a successful competition, but the dimensions of the Nike show that it was an extremely rare artefact. These costly objects were financed by rich and powerful Mecenates, like Kreithonios, named in the inscription on the base of Nike from Armento.
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 0083
Greek Gold Figure of Nike from a Monumental Funerary Wreath
Sold for (Inc. bp): £14,040
RELATED LOTS
-
Cypriot Mixed Terracotta Vessel Fragments
3rd-1st millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Including fragments of storage vessel, bowl and other items, some with handle and rim elements. 5.35 kg total, 1.4-27 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. -
Large Greek Geometric Amphora Pair
8th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,340
Group of two fragmentary terracotta amphorae, one with much of the reverse absent, each with basal ring, broad shoulder and trumpet-shape mouth, two double-loop handles to the shoulder; painted horizontal bands of geometric ornamental motifs including meander, hatched lozenge, saltire, vesica and other designs; each with a domed lid. 4.3 kg total, 13 - 38.5 cm
Acquired it on the European art market since the 1970s. with Herakles Numismatik & Antiquitäten GmbH, München, Germany. Kept in the UK since the early 2000s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12311-218585. -
Greek Core-Formed Glass Amphoriskos
5th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £2,000
Elongated piriform amphora shape, tubular neck and everted rim, decorated with polychrome festooning and trails, applied amber-green handles and knop foot. 152 grams, 18 cm high
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private collection since 1998. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12206-222129.
