Loading, please wait...

Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater Belonging to the Chevron Group Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater Belonging to the Chevron Group Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater Belonging to the Chevron Group Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater Belonging to the Chevron Group Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater Belonging to the Chevron Group Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater Belonging to the Chevron Group
Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge
Details

LOT 0037

Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater Belonging to the Chevron Group

APULIA, 4TH CENTURY B.C.

9 1/8 in. (1.11 kg, 23.2 cm wide).

With reserved herringbone band beneath the rim, wave pattern to be the baseline; Side A: young man with thyrsus and pendant streamer holding a phiale, a loose mantle draped from the elbows; Side B: head of a lady of fashion with white accents to her stephane and hair drawn up in a chignon, a volute and window before her.

Provenance

Acquired on the art market between the late 1990s and mid-2000s.
Estate of the late Barry Paul Buxton (1944-2024), Oakham, Rutland.
Acquired on the UK art market, 2025.

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.13071-249285.

Literature

Cf. similar pottery in Paul Getty Museum, inv.no.71.AE.301.

Footnotes

Bell kraters were commonly used in regions of ancient Italy for mixing and serving wine during communal gatherings, thanks to their wide shape and flared mouth. These vessels also served as artistic expressions, reflecting the cultural tastes of the time. The Chevron Group is the conventional name for a group of ancient Apulian red-figure vase painters who were active in Southern Italy between approximately 335-310 B.C. They are named for their distinctive use of a band of chevron patterns to encircle the rims of the small kraters (mixing vessels) they decorated.

CONDITION
VETTING:

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 0037

Greek Red-Figure Bell Krater Belonging to the Chevron Group

Sold for (Inc. bp): £3,120

Print page

RELATED LOTS
  • Greek Terracotta Rhyton of a Goddess
    Greek Terracotta Rhyton of a Goddess
    3rd-2nd century B.C.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720

    With flanged and stepped rim, tapering curved body, figural finial of the goddess with diadem; bands of red and cream geometric detail to the rim and upper body, red wave patterns to the inner face; the goddess modelled with carefully dressed hair and floral diadem, ringlets cascading to her collar bone, alert facial expression with almond-shaped eyes and prominent nose, with C-shaped billetted collar and chiton, cupping her left breast in her right hand; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.25 kg, 24 cm



    Private collection, London, UK; formed 1970s-1980s. 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.13312-258233.

    It is challenging to identify the divinity represented on our vessel: it can be associated with Ariadne, wife of the god Dionysus, but also with a Parthian goddess such as Anahita. She was a Zoroastrian goddess associated with water, fertility, and wisdom, widely venerated across the Parthian Empire and often invoked alongside Ahura Mazda in royal and religious inscriptions. Rhyta in her likeness, typically terminating in a zoomorphic or divine protome, were used as ceremonial drinking vessels, reflecting Anahita's close association with libation and purification rites.

    Lot Details

  • Greek Terracotta Female Protome
    Ex Herbert A. Cahn, Published 1998
    Greek Terracotta Female Protome
    Early 5th century B.C.

    Estimate: £1,200 - 1,700 (‡+bp*)

    Opening Bid: £650

    Mould-made female protome with oval face, graceful nose and typical "archaic" smile; forehead framed by snail-shell curls descending to shoulder-height; with a low polos with a central perforation and large disc earrings. 606 grams, 19.5 cm



    Ex Herbert A. Cahn, Kunst der Antike, Basel, 1997. with Paul and Vreny Vosseler-Studer, Riehen. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00057826. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12474-228714.

    The presence of cults in Magna Graecia, although they fell within a well-established pantheon, in which the deity representing the Great Mother or Mother Earth, protector of fertility, natural and human fecundity, as well as health, was the most ancient, traces back to the figure of Demeter. In terracotta statuary, especially in Lucania, the goddess became the prevalent subject of votive or propitiatory offerings, reproduced in numerous variations of pose. The most common is the seated position, a distant tradition and widespread in the ancient world, the so-called 'goddess enthroned' with its multiple meanings, which allowed it to be adapted to various forms of worship. Demeter is a female deity connected to the earthly world and fertility, and therefore also present in Lucanian religiosity. The theme of the archaic protome—a head severed just below the neck—was transformed and expanded between the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., into that of the bust, finished just above the waist.

    Lot Details

  • Greek Corinthian Terracotta Alabastron
    Greek Corinthian Terracotta Alabastron
    Archaic Period, circa 600-575 B.B.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £130

    Ovoid body, short neck, disc-shaped rim, a vestigial handle with suspension hole, decorated with linear motifs such as tongues, lines and dots, all organised in zones. 48.3 grams, 74 mm



    From the private collection of a Sussex, UK, gentleman.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list