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LOT 0072
Greek Gold Lion Head Ring with Plaited Band
3RD CENTURY B.C. AND LATER
1 1/4 in. (8.43 grams, 32 mm).
Formed as a plaited band of gold and silver rods, the finials formed as large lion heads with gaping jaws, a rosette with a rivet behind the neck; possibly a marriage.
ProvenanceAcquired in London, 1979.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0072
Greek Gold Lion Head Ring with Plaited Band
Estimate £800 - 1,000€930 - 1,160 (for guidance only)$1,080 - 1,350 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£400 (EUR 464; USD 540) +BP*
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Large Greek Bronze Ring with Leaping Lion
Hellenistic, circa 2nd-1st century B.C.Estimate: £50 - 70 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising a slender hoop and a thick oval bezel with a stylised lion motif. 5.50 grams, 26.35 mm overall, 20.90 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V 1/2, USA 10 3/4, Europe 24.4, Japan 23)
From a UK collection formed in the 1980s. Property of an Essex, UK, gentleman. -
Large Greek Bronze Double-Headed Animal Terminal
Geometric, 8th-6th century B.C.Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £600
Comprising a crescent body with a slender neck at each end, topped by a bird-head with a rectangular crest, vertical legs with raised block detailing conjoined at the lower end into a mounting peg. 55.6 grams, 86 mm
Ex collection Mr K.H., Germany. Private collection, acquired in 2012. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate no.13077-246757.
Bird figures, standing on plates or discs, are found as votives mainly in Northern Greek sanctuaries of the Geometric Age. They should be regarded as symbolic and sometimes modest gifts to the gods. Some birds were also designed as pendants. The present fitting resembles a rooster, but it could also represent a peacock, and hence is connected with the goddess Hera. -
'The Metropolitan Museum of Art' Cypriot Limestone Votive Head of a Man
Circa 5th century B.C.Estimate: £700 - 900 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £350
Finely carved votive head with almond-shaped eyes and strong nose, lips set to a gentle smile, typical of the Greek kouroi of this period, wearing a conical headdress leaving the ears exposed; set on its original base from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York with item number '163' and three sale labels on the base. 367 grams total, 13.1 cm high including stand
Likely discovered by Luigi Palma di Cesnola in Cyprus, 1860s-70s. Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, likely acquired from the above in 1872. Collection of Ira Martin, New York, acquired from the above on 12 March 1926. with Christie’s, New York, Antiquities, 5 June 1998, no.133. Private collection, thence by descent.