Greek Gold Pendant with Dolphin Shoulders

Standing with arms held straight at the sides, short hair with neck-ring to rear, short-sleeved tunic with pleats to centre-front and rear, wide belt; perhaps a monumental fitting; gas permeation to rear right leg; mounted on a custom-made stand. 77.8 grams total, 10 cm including stand



Private collection, Paris, France, assembled in the 1950s-1960s. with Tessier-Sarrou & Associés, Paris, 2015. European private collection. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate, no.S00107108. Accompanied by a copy of French cultural export passport no.167803. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12651-234613. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Carnelian scarab with flat underside, segmented border around a figure bent over his tools, set into a later swivel-mount with carinated hoop, wires wound round the shank at each shoulder. 10.23 grams, 35.18 mm overall, 17.75 x 23.05 mm internal diameter (approximate size British P 1/2, USA 7 3/4, Europe 16.86, Japan 16)



Acquired from a London dealer in the 1980s. From the collection of a London antiquarian, formed since the 1980s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12745-234210. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Comprising three standing korai on a rectangular base, each wearing a chiton and a himation draped diagonally from the right shoulder, centrally parted hair topped with a polos crown; hollow back, middle head restored. 480 grams, 19.3 cm



Private Swiss collection, 1990s. 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.12665-236417. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

Korai (young women) were common votive dedications in the Archaic and Classical world, particularly at sanctuaries of Demeter, Persephone, and Hera. To have a group of maidens, such as this example, is highly unusual, and evokes the ritual dances of marriageable young women in the Greek world.