Greek Sanguisuga Bronze Fibula

With flared mouth, wide neck, bulbous body and ring foot, painted in brown and red matte glaze; geometric pattern spread over several registers separated by bundles of encircling stripes, triangles with hatching inside them, neck with metopes containing swastikas, rosettes and rhombuses with a band of rhombuses beneath; the shoulder with five line friezes arranged one above the other; the body decorated with meander and a band of rhombuses and triangles with hatching below, a broad black stripe (in places reddish as a result of misfiring) to the lower part; transition to the ring foot and ring foot painted black; wide strap handle attached to the shoulder and painted on the outside with a wavy line framed by dots, edge stripes and three small stars, the connecting bar patterned with stripes; museum-quality restoration. 2.04 kg, 35.5 cm



Ex Madame P., Paris. 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.12460-228686. 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.

Vessels of the Geometric period (900-700 BCE) are easily recognisable by their abstract decorative designs, which had their origin in woven textiles and baskets. While early period pottery typically has sparse geometric motifs on a black background, the amount of the decoration increased progressively to the point that objects from the late Geometric period are often entirely covered - in this example, even the strap handle.

Engraved to the underside with a reclining zebu facing right with short protruding horns and a pointed ear; smooth, curved top and a narrow longitudinal perforation. 1.83 grams, 15 mm



with Herbert A. Cahn, Basel, 1990s. Accompanied by a copy of an Art Loss Register certificate no.S00075367. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.

The body, head and joints are rendered in the “globolo” drilling technique, in which circular recesses of different sizes are carved into the stone, whilst fine cuts are used to depict the horns, ear and tail. In the Achaemenid period, ‘globolo’ style visible on some gemstones, mainly with animal motifs, developed in Syria-Phoenicia, but the gems did not carry specific Persian motifs, except perhaps this series with a zebu bull.

Hollow-formed with flared neck, moulded face with shallow lentoid eyes, snub nose and wide mouth with enigmatic smile; band of hair framing the face. 499 grams, 12.3 cm wide



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. Private collection, Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection, since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D’Amato.