Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0574
Greek Marble Head of a Kouros
EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.
7 1/8 in. (879 grams total, 18 cm high including stand).
Carved in the round; semi-naturalistic anatomic and facial detailing, hair gathered loosely at the neck and tied with a taenia knotted at the nape of the neck; mounted on a custom-made display base.
Provenance
Ex old European private property, by inheritance to the previous owner.
Ex Schuler Auktionen, Zürich, 10 December 2020, no.1211.
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.11817-206512.
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.
Literature
Cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.1992.11.60, for a similar marble head of a Kouros, c.525-475 B.C., in Zimmerman, J.-L., Collection de la Fondation Thétis: Développements de l'Art Grec de la Préhistoire à Rome, Geneva, 1987, p.47, no.88; cf. also a slightly later head with tight, defined curls, likely to have come from a group within a funerary naiskos, no. 1972.118.111 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in Von Bothmer, D. and d'Harnoncourt, R., Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities: An Exhibition from the Collection of Walter Cummings Baker, Esq. no. 59, p. 10, pl. 20, 1950, New York; see also Dörig, J., The Olympia Master and his collaborators, Leiden-New York-Köln-København, 1987.
Footnotes
The small statuette to which the head belonged was probably that of a naked youth, the so-called kouros, typical of archaic Greek sculpture from the 7th century B.C. onwards.
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 0574
Greek Marble Head of a Kouros
Estimate £2,000 - 3,000€2,320 - 3,480 (for guidance only)$2,700 - 4,050 (for guidance only)
RELATED LOTS
-
Greek Red-Figure Lekythos
5th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
Of ovoid form with trumpet-shaped spout and strap handle, reserved image of a lady wearing a large himation, on a baseline with scrolled foliage. 106 grams, 11 cm
Ex German collection, 1970. with Galerie Chenel, Paris, 22 July 2008. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
The word lekythos had a wide meaning in ancient Greece, probably generally meaning all oil jugs, including the athletes' oil bottle (now called aryballos) as well as the types now given this name by archaeologists. Certain lekythoi resemble certain oenochoe superficially, at a first glance. Oenochoes, however, were wine-pitchers and in most cases were larger than the lekythoi, which were small jugs for oil, perfumes, etc. -
Greek Black-Glazed Terracotta Bowl with Stamped Decoration
Circa 330 B.C.Estimate: £200 - 300 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £90
Flat bowl on a ring-base, convex rim decorated with a flat-profiled tongue-leaf frieze and fine groove beneath. 183 grams, 12.2 cm
with Galerie Gilgamesh, prior 2003. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00035402. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato. -
Etruscan Bronze Statuette of a Draped Hero
4th-3rd century B.C.Estimate: £18,000 - 24,000 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £9,000
Modelled in the round standing erect with right hand on his hip and left arm extending from the elbow resting on the left hip and with fingers curled to hold a staff or handle, wearing a loosely draped cloth over the left shoulder and drawn around the body to hang over the arms; ribbed cuffs to the boots; youthful face with tousled hair and slightly exaggerated lentoid eyes; C-shaped staple beneath the feet for attachment; supplied with a custom-made display stand. 506 grams total, 18.7 cm including stand
with Sotheby’s, Antiquities, London, 6 July 1995, no.130. Acquired by the present owner at the above sale. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12194-222321. 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.
The statue was probably a cult offering and presents an archaic Etruscan hairstyle, being part of the Italic statuettes produced as votive offering to the temples or for private lararia. His warrior status can be confirmed by his boots, typical of Etruscan and Latin warriors of archaic times.
