Greek Lead Actor's Mask Weight

The female seated on a chair with arm-supports at the sides, wearing a long robe with ruched panel to the chest and pleated sleeves, the hair drawn up into a transverse band above the brow, surmounted by a tiara; hands across the waist holding an infant with head erect; mounted on a custom-made stand; repaired. 1.54 kg total, 24 cm high including stand



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.

The statuette probably represents the goddess of fertility, originally imported from Crete in the 11th century B.C. but whose iconography survived in Cyprus until the 5th century B.C. The tiara is a characteristic attribute of this divinity, related to the Greek Demeter. The statue is probably a votive statue propitiatory for births.

Squat skyphos on a low, pared conical base; two small horizontal handles round in section, short flaring everted rim; painted in dark brown with decoration limited to two window-like areas between the handles; on either side of the bowl two large ducks moving to the right with incision and overpaint clarifying the mass of the bodies, wings indicated with two quick horizontal strokes and a row of pendant arcs or scallops with dots of red and white overpaint for a rich, feathered effect; rosettes filling the space around the ducks. 257 grams, 18 cm wide



In the collection of Mr Ulfert Wilke, founding Director of the University of Iowa Museum of Art. Acquired from Ulfert Wilke on 29 May 1968. From the collection of Dr Howard Sirak, Columbus, Ohio, USA. Ex I.M. Chait Gallery, Los Angeles, USA, 14 December 2020, lot 212. Property of a South Australian private collector, with collection reference 20.34. Accompanied by detailed collector's catalogue pages including description and photograph.

The catalogue cites this piece as no. 3.10 from the Wilke Collection and the original sticker is on the base. The catalogue was for the exhibition at the University of Iowa Museum of Art from 17 March to 30 April 1971.

Unglazed tall juglet (bilbil) with flared foot, piriform body, tapering neck and flared mouth. strap handle; bands of bilinear ornament to the shoulder and neck. 103 grams, 13.7 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.