Greek Megarian Bowl

A horse and rider figure modelled in the round, standing on elongated stub legs, stout neck with stylised painted mane and coat detailing, waisted muzzle with raised almond-shaped eyes defined by painted roundels, solid colouring to the muzzle and short tail; rider represented by a torso and D-shaped head, arms reaching for the horse's neck and gripping its mane, painted detailing to the arms, hands and face. 206 grams, 15.5 cm wide

Fine condition.

London deceased estate, 1960s-1970s. Property of a Cambridgeshire, UK, gentleman. From the private collection of John Meredith, acquired since the 1990s; thence by descent.

Terracotta figurines of horse and rider were common grave offerings in Boeotia, northwest of Attica, particularly during the 6th century B.C. Representations of warriors on horseback were already diffused in the Geometric Period, and widely employed in Cyprus, in this same period. The image of our rider, although influenced by Cypriot designs, does not show typical Cypriot characteristics, and indeed his kausia cap suggests a northern Greek origin.

Cup-shaped body with flared and curved rim, flat-section handle with swan-head finial; the body with pierced rosette pattern. 159 grams, 27.4 cm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12233-222331.

The Agora excavations in Athens have yielded a large number of funnels, Hellenistic and Roman, which tend to be of a basically similar type, though of course with variations. Perhaps the most important feature of all these funnels is that they were made for use and not for show. The bronze specimen found in Galaxidi is very similar to our strainer.

The handle formed as a nude youth supporting a panel of double volutes and half-palmettes, long braided hair falling at the back of the neck and on his forehead; the legs joined and ankles extended, the feet enclosed in pointed shoes, palmette below; accompanied by the bowl with inverted rim, a pair of parallel lines to the outer rim; the handle and part of the rim detached and mounted separately on the custom-made display stand. 1.35 kg total, 45.5 cm high including stand



with Herbert A. Cahn, Basel, 1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00075168. 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 no.12462-228709.

Anthropomorphic handles with images of young naked boys connected with animals were widespread and used for mirrors. The object, in particular, is part of the group of mirrors and paterae with standing youths (male and female, probably symbolising athletes) and nude female mirror caryatids (Mitten-Doeringer, 1968, figs.87-88) serving as vertical handles.